Our current project here at IM Rivers, mapping stormwater outfall pipes on the Raritan River, is very important to us. We are learning about this river everyday with the help of a local organization, the Sustainable Raritan River Initiative. Their website has a wealth of information about the Raritan River including information about the basin, clean up efforts, sustainable Raritan River action agenda, news and events, pictures, along with a wealth of resources and data. It is committed groups like these that will save our rivers for future use and recreation. Check out their website and keep checking back for updates!
Photo taken by Dr. Wansoo Im
Scott Jablonski, VERTICES Intern
Here at IM Rivers we have been working on a new project to protect our local river upon which Rutgers University was built; the Raritan River. It is a heavily polluted river, but by taking initiative we hope to clean it up so everybody can enjoy its beauty. After obtaining a GIS shapefile from the Middlesex County Planning Department of outfalls in the county, which I told was a complete database of all storm water outfalls, I noticed that the pipes that I see everyday as part of the Rutgers Crew team were not included in this database. This motivated us to map them ourselves, which we have just begun. In our Interactive Map, you can see both the outfalls in the Middlesex County database and the outfalls that we have begun to map on the Raritan River. In a very short amount of time we were able to map over 25 outfalls which were not in the Planning Departments database! A special thanks to Rutgers Crew Coach Jon Stephanik for his time and efforts helping us with this project. Keep checking back to monitor our progress!
Scott Jablonski, VERTICES Intern
Rutgers University Athletics, along with New Jersey American Water, is holding a competition to promote the use of tap water over bottled water. Plastic bottles take about 1000 years to biodegrade, and far too much waste is created by these one-time-use bottles. With companies such as American Water working so hard to keep us supplied with fresh drinking water, why is it that it is under-utilized? Participants are to create a video no longer than 90 seconds describing the benefits of drinking tap water. There are going to be prizes awarded to the top videos, including an Apple iPad and a trip to a Rutgers football game in North Carolina. Videos are encouraged to be educational and creative, however only Rutgers students may participate. The March 31, 2011 deadline is approaching quickly, so if you are a Rutgers student interested in the promotion of tap water, apply NOW!
Sources: NJ American Water
Scott Jablonski, VERTICES Intern
