Douglas High students work on water quality project

About 60 Douglas High students participated in a water quality project on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Douglas County Stormwater Program Manager Courtney Walker said the project was designed to improve urban stormwater runoff going into the East Fork of the Carson River, which passes right by the school.

“Another objective is to implement an on the ground project at the High School to filter stormwater coming from the school prior to it being discharged to the storm drain system,” Walker said.

Students helped install rock and soil amendments and did some planting directly behind the baseball field.

“The CAD/Engineering class did the design with input from the Geo Science class and the English class is doing the outreach,” Walker said.

Funding for the project came from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection for the Westwood Neighborhood and Douglas High School Nonpoint Source Pollution Outreach and Low Impact Development Implementation project.

“The project came about due to a large algae bloom in the East Fork Carson River, adjacent to where the urban storm drain system discharges into the river, Walker said. “The project objectives are to improve residents and students’ knowledge and understanding of water and fertilizer management, and low impact development practices to improve urban stormwater runoff.”

Engineering students at the high school designed a design around the storm drain grate at the back of the baseball field.