CULVER - If you spot a splash of blue on a storm drain in Culver, you've viewed the handiwork of several Culver Academies students.

Paul Bradtke, Roman Clark and Brandon Medlin - all CMA cadets - teamed with the Lake Maxinkuckee Environmental Council (LMEC) to mark storm drains as a school senior service project.

With the aid of five volunteers from their unit, the three seniors spent part of Saturday afternoon applying blue stainless steel discs to 100 storm drains. The labels bear the inscription, “No dumping drains to lake” to remind residents that materials dumped on the ground eventually wind up in Lake Maxinkuckee.

“The lake is part of the whole community,” Medlin, of Charlotte, N.C., explained. “We want to remind people not to dump leftover antifreeze, for instance, because it goes to the lake.”

LMEC Executive Director Tina Hissong underscored the educational and awareness angles of the mission.

“People think what gets dumped on the ground goes into the sewage treatment plant,” Hissong noted. “It doesn't. It goes straight to the lake. We're trying to raise awareness of that fact.”

Hissong said the marking effort originated from the three seniors' desire to complete an environmentally oriented service project. While the cadets' April deadline eliminated wetland maintenance or planting exercises, the storm drain marking worked well for both the students and LMEC.

“Most of our projects are done from May through August, but this is a project we wanted to do,” Hissong commented. “It's a great partnership for us.”

Clark, who presented his project proposal to and received the blessing of the Culver Town Council, cited the community aspect of environmental awareness.

“It's something local,” Clark, a Caledonia, Mich. native, said of the project. “We'll actually see the effects of what we're doing. What happens with the lake affects everyone.”

Bradtke, from Frankfort, Ill., said his motivation ran toward the personal. After nine years in Culver as a student and summer camper, the lake holds a special meaning for him.

“I've used the lake a lot while in summer camp and at school,” Bradtke said. “Not dumping into the lake is a public safety matter for those who use the lake and for what lives in the lake.”

The trio and its volunteers split into four groups of two and hit the downtown area starting at Main Street. The students first uncovered drains, thoroughly brushed them off and then used caulk to affix the markers.

Junior Mike Coughlin joined Bradtke and attacked his work with considerable enthusiasm.

“Go nature,” the Dallas resident said with a broad grin and fist pump. “I do a lot of outdoor stuff. I'm here by choice.”

And while not all the drains were marked, Hissong left open the possibility of similar projects in the future. The students also stayed in the downtown area in the interest of ease for future volunteers.

“It will be easier to pick it up if another group wants to do it next year if we stay in one area,” Hissong said. “There's between 200 and 500 storm drains. I thought 100 would be a good starting point.”