2010 Storm Water Contest: Contact Marion County Chairman Stan McClain to understand the problems associated
with storm water drainage into the drinking water aquifer. Industrial Pollution is a mature subject covering politics, waste disposal, Heath
standards and inter governmental agreements. Alachua's Storm water system empties into the Alachua Sink, just a few
miles up stream of Marion County. While it is less expensive to dump into the aquifer, many are concerned about potential
health issues.
Over the years the utilities responsible
for protecting the safety of Ocala have drilled drains into the aquifer, to reduce the chance of flooding problems in the City of Ocala. Some sinkholes have been used in the public interest to drain
away unwanted water volume. City officials have been careful to protect the public outside the city limits by limiting the drains to only 28 city wide. It
is important to understand that we need as many essays as possible to help reduce the problems associated with direct dumping
to the aquifer. There are concerns that Storm Water pollution is too adult of a subject for students to fully understand.
Often students are shocked to learn that city utilities discharge into the drinking water when possible, to save money.
With positive essays the city of Ocala program of discharge into sink holes such as at
highway 475, and the new 17th street overpass, will be mitigated to a point where the pollution many not even be counted. Algae in
Silver Springs will not have as negative an effect if there isn't a compromise of public safety drains of storm water into
the drinking water that flows out at Silver Springs.
Ocala as well as Gainesville officials are depending on St Johns Water Management
funded essay programs to help Utilities keep up with Public Safety issues. Others feel that industrial waste disposal
is to complicated of a subject for children to understand. Some experts agree that public service contest about storm
water should be authored by qualified adults, engineers qualified to deal with the complicated pollution issues.
We must educate our children to understand the point sources of storm water
otherwise we will have the same problems in the next generation. Ocala started the Storm water drainage pipe system 60
years ago and now we must keep the protection of the drains safe.
Children are the best source of new Storm Troopers to help protect the drainage program. We must protect
the possibility of billions of gallons going into the aquifer while we can. If the authorities ever take away the right
to discharge storm water into the drinking water aquifer we will likely have to plug all of the drain wells.
Bob Burton, Water Czar, with Team Conservation is hoping adults will write an essay that keeps the pollution
drains going if in fact they are needed for public safety. Actually, I hope you help us make the officials stop and
think about using kids to cover up the dumping that goes on in Ocala. What do kids have to do with drain pipes punched into the earth
to drain into the aquifer leading to the Silver and Rainbow springs. Cleaning up storm water has nothing to do with
our kids, especially in the class room. Utilities should spend their funds filtering their storm water drain effluent
and using the nutrient rich storm water for Agriculture purposes. Let's face the facts. Kids don't run the utilities
so sending in political spin artist to influence our children is hardly proper.
Tell your parents to support you in your efforts to fix 50 year old problems that were wrong
then and are still wrong today. You must act before their water bill increases because of the need to filter the aquifer
from the drain pipes.
Utilities almost never
admit that they dump into sink holes and drain pipes directly linked to our Drinking Water Aquifer.
Example of involvement of school
children in Utility Point Source pollution.
Drop-by-Drop: You Make A Difference! Stormwater Education
Grants Utility discharge is not appropriate for school children to be used as public service experts.
The Marion County Office of the County Engineer (OCE) announces
a program to award grants to public and private educators in an effort to promote stormwater education within schools serving
unincorporated Marion County. Topics may include nonpoint source pollution, karst topography, and/or topics that address improving
water quality in waterbodies or in the Floridan aquifer. There will be two (2) types of grants, one for "Consumables"
and the other for "Equipment." Important:
Itemized budgets attached to applications are needed
for grant approval. Note: topics may not include City Drain pipes to the Aquifer, or Sewer plant discharge points such
as the Kanapaha Sewer plant discharge point for Sewer Effluent. Gainesville Utilities Discharge point source pipes into
the Alachua Sink, flows out at the local springs and is flushed into the Atlantic Ocean, so these examples may not be used for credit. Point
source discharge by city utilities may not be understood by the public and therefore not allowed for this program.
Teachers
or school administrators are asked to please fill out the enclosed grant application and submit the completed form to:
Marion County Office of the County Engineer Stormwater Management Section 412 S.E. 25 Avenue Ocala, Florida 34471
a. Consumable grant - Grants of up to $750 each
will be awarded for efforts to promote water resource projects. Up to four (4) consumable grants may be awarded to any one
school. Stormwater-related projects may include:
*Field trip to an educational site for stormwater-related classes
or events. *Registration to attend a stormwater-related conference to share with other educators. *Promotion of a schoolwide
stormwater-related awareness event. *Stormwater-related books, posters, puppets, videos, CD’s, and computer software
to share.
b. Equipment grant - Grants
of up to $1,000 each will be awarded for equipment related to water resource projects. Up to two (2) equipment grants
may be awarded to any one school. Teachers are encouraged to
work together on the application. Water resource equipment may include:
*Water quality monitoring, and sampling –
nets, meters, waders, test kits, etc. *Education models depicting aquifer function, wetland function, river & stream function,
etc.
A maximum of six (6) grants may be given to any one school: four (4) for consumables and two (2) for equipment. Individual
teachers may apply for only one (1) consumable and one (1) equipment grant, for a potential maximum of two grants per individual
teacher.
c. Responsibilities –
Teachers are responsible for keeping all paperwork as proof of purchases and expenditure of funds in accordance with
the grant. Prices for field trip (e.g., Lake Weir, Silver Springs, etc.) admissions or bus charters/school buses must be clearly
stated in the grant application. Substitutions after awards have been granted will be considered by submitting a written request
to Barbra Hernández, Marion County OCE. Awarded schools must sign an agreement with Marion County upon acceptance of
grant(s).
d. Important Dates:
• • •
Grant Deadline
(Faxed copies will not be accepted) Deadline to expend
all funds Deadline to complete all projects & turn in paperwork
5:00 p.m., Friday, January 21, 2011
Friday,
April 29, 2011 Friday, May 6, 2011
CREATIVITY & TEACHER COOPERATION ARE ENCOURAGED!
**For
any questions or more information about these grants and deadlines for application, e-mail Barbra.Hernandez@marioncountyfl.org
or call 352-671-8686.
(12/08/10)Marion County Office of the County Engineer Drop-by-Drop: You Make A Difference!
FY
2010-2011 Stormwater Education Grant Application
Please note: Awarded grant funds will be given to the Marion County School Board winner’s school(s) for
reimbursement. Reimbursement arrangements will be made with private school winners. Remember to include costs of shipping
& handling and remember discounts that you receive as an educator. You may submit up to one (1) equipment and one (1) consumable grant application. Please write your name on every page
of the submitted application. Please attach any supporting materials.
1. T eacher(s)’s Name (print clearly):____________________________ School:______________________ 2. Phone#: Day ________________ Night ________________
E-mail ________________ 3. Address:_______________________________________ Grade
Level:_________ # of students ________
4. Please choose one (consumable and equipment applications must be on separate forms): Consumable Grant (up to $750) _____ Equipment Grant (up to $1,000) _____
5. Request/Project: (Grant requests must focus on the County’s stormwater and water resources, and explain how this
project will promote education, awareness and/or protection. The grant request must provide detailed information and costs
of the project.)
6. How will this field trip, project or purchased
items be integrated into the curriculum?
7. If field trips are requested,
please discuss any pre- and post- assessments or other planned strategies to measure the educational effectiveness of this
trip?
8. A concise & clearly itemized budget must
be attached. Photocopied catalog pages and order forms
must be included, if applicable. You may also attach additional pages, pictures, and/or diagrams to support this grant request.
9. Amount Requested:________________ 10. Signature of applicant: Date: ______________ 11. School principal signature: Date: ______________
Important Dates:
• Grant Deadline (Faxed copies
will not be accepted) • Deadline to expend
all funds • Deadline to complete all projects &
turn in paperwork
Send to:
Marion County Office of the County Engineer Stormwater Management Section
Attention: Barbra Hernández 412 S.E. 25th Avenue
Ocala, Florida 34471 (352) 671-8686
5:00
p.m., Friday, January 21, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011 Friday, May 6, 2011
E-mail any grant
questions to:
Barbra.Hernandez@marioncountyfl.org
