Future Eagle Scout will Label Storm Drains

One scout's Eagle project will save Lower Macugie Township time and money.

Chris Oberle, 17, of Lower Macungie Township, plans to make the Little Lehigh Creek a little better for future generations. The Emmaus High School senior, a member of Boy Scout Troop 70 of Emmaus, is well on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout and needs to do a project which benefits the community. 

His project — the Little Lehigh Watershed Sewer Labeling Project — will label the storm inlets in Lower Macungie Township that feed into the Little Lehigh Creek with “NO DUMPING” signs. 

According to Oberle, “The goal is to make the public aware that whatever they dump into those storm drains will end up in the Little Lehigh Creek.”

He outlined his “Plan of Action” for the Lower Macungie Township Commissioners at the Aug. 18 meeting:

1. First, he will acquire a map of the sewer system of Lower Macungie and go out and survey all the storm drains to see if any of them already have the "NO DUMPING" labels on them or if they need new ones. He will get an exact number of drains to label.
2. After examining all the storm inlets, with his troop, he will place labels on all the storm drains based on what he saw during phase 1.  He will start labeling the inlets nearest the Little Lehigh and branch out from there.
3. After all the labels have been placed, he will make an updated map of the sewer system showing which inlets received the labels.

Commissioner Douglas Brown, an engineer, chuckled as he expressed his approval of Oberle’s project, “especially since he wants to be an engineer.”

Bruce Fosselman, township manager, asked him how the project will be funded.  Oberle responded by saying he believes there are enough funds available through some private and corporate donations.  If more is needed, Oberle said he will do more fundraising.  The commissioners unanimously approved up to $500 for the project, if needed, to assist in the project.

Township Engineer William Erdman told the future Eagle Scout that he will supply Oberle with the maps needed, saving a lot of time.