Government

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, January 2, 2001 ? While half of Memphians may be aware of what storm water pollution is, only 23 percent are aware the city has a storm water pollution problem, according to a recent survey prepared for the City of Memphis Department of Environmental Engineering.

The survey was commissioned by the Department in order to help target their storm water education program.

The survey also shows that 95 percent of Memphians are interested in learning how they can help prevent pollution to the Mississippi River.

Many people don?t realize that activities such as bagging leaves from their yard and picking up after their pets helps protect the environment. Storm water pollution occurs when runoff rainwater enters the storm drains and carries pollutants such as leaves, trash and chemicals directly to the Wolf River and McKellar Lake. A little under half the residents in Memphis are not aware that storm water pollution is an environmental concern in the city.

The survey, conducted by Research Dynamics, Inc. measures Memphis residents? awareness and opinions about storm water pollution and other environmental issues in the area. Random telephone interviews were conducted with 250 adults 18 years old or older who live in Memphis.

Hal Fogelman, President, Research Dynamics, Inc., said the survey was designed to answer specific questions related to pollution in the Memphis area.

?We wanted to know how concerned Memphians were about environmental issues, how many people were aware of the storm water pollution issue and who is responsible for causing and preventing storm water pollution,? says Fogelman. ?Some of the key questions we asked involved how people dispose of items such as automobile oil, fertilizers, leaves, and household cleaning products.?

?This survey helps us decide where we need to focus our educational efforts,? says Tom Lawrence, an Environmental Engineer for the City of Memphis.

The City of Memphis Storm Water Action Team was developed in order to educate the citizens of Memphis about the dangers of storm water pollution. For more information about storm water pollution or to report illegal dumping into the storm drains, call the City Storm Water Action Team at 529-0237.