The trash and debris left in the gutters today will deposit in the middle of the campus lakes tomorrow.
Nonpoint source pollution is a leading culprit in the lakes’ grungy appearance. Rainwater runoff carries leaves, sediment, oil and trash from streets to the gutters, which flows into the lakes.
Nonpoint source pollution comes from a diversity of loose natural and manmade materials from yards, construction sites and streets into gutters and storm drains. The gutters carry the polluted drainage directly to water bodies, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The University’s deposits accumulate in the middle of the lakes, contibuting to the lakes’ cloudy, green appearance spotted with garbage islands, said Ted Jack, facility development manager.
Besides aesthetic dilemmas, the lakes are unsanitary to swim in and emit foul odors from the pollution and algae, Jack said.
The University is working with the Department of Public Works, BREC and the federal government to create solutions for the lakes’ pollution, Jack said.
However, students and community members can help the effort by reducing the nonpoint source solution by properly disposing of trash, Jack said.
Many students have complained about the lakes’
appearance without realizing trash left in the streets contributes to the problem, Jack said.
“Sometimes [the lakes] look green and nasty,” said Francesca Campos, a computer science sophomore. “I think it would be worth it to clean the lakes because it would make the campus a lot cleaner.”
She said she has noticed students placing trash in the gutters, not realizing it feeds into the lakes.
In addition, the University is considering dredging the lakes and using the dredged material to landscape the lakes’ edges. Dredging would allow bioremediation, which is using the organic compost material from the lakes’ bottoms to build up the lakes’ shores.
However, dredging is expensive and takes around a year to clean the University-owned lakes, Jack said.
The University is awaiting a federal grant before carrying out any improvements. The grant would provide funding to create a watershed sediment basin and wetland area to filter the gutter water before it reaches the lakes. Natural filtration could eliminate the need for dredging in the future, Jack said.
The University will share the expense with the federal government, EPA and BREC.
Another problem is the lakes are shallow, causing them to be stagnant and exposed to temperature extremes. During the summer, the dissolved oxygen levels drop below the EPA’s standards, which is harmful to lake wildlife.
One solution that would facilitate future dredging is eutrophication. Waste could be removed easier by concentrating sediment into specific holes on lake bottoms, Jack said.
Members of the Student Environmental Action Coalition manually cleaned portions of the lakes last year by going out on canoes and grabbing handfuls of trash.
Members found cans, bottles, cups, tires, small appliances and furniture. They also found algae- covered pipes, which used to be used for sewage drainage.
“It smelled really bad,” said Andrea Baty, an SEAC member. “There was a lot of trash. There should be some type of educational program about throwing trash in the lakes.”
Baty said the University should clean the lakes if financing is feasible, so people could fish and canoe without worrying about toxins from the pollution.
“[The lakes] look fine to me,” said David Bush, a history senior. “But, if they are dirty, they need to be cleaned up.”
Bush occasionally walks around the lakes, but he thinks the University could spend the money better elsewhere.