Nine engineering and computer science students partnered with the town of Hamden in the installation of 93 storm drain medallions on Saturday.

The medallions raise awareness about stormwater and how it can impact local water bodies, ultimately affecting everyone.

“I hope students gained a greater appreciation of their connection to the broader community in Hamden,” said Kim DiGiovanni, associate teaching professor of civil engineering. “The event emphasized one of our residential life themes of community citizenship. Students learned how we’re connected through water. The water that goes down the storm drain in the West Woods neighborhood, where we installed the storm drains, ultimately flows into the Mill River that runs adjacent to the campus and into the Long Island Sound via New Haven harbor. 

This project was a collaboration with the Town of Hamden Inland Wetlands Commission and Mill River Watershed Association, explained DiGiovanni. The medallions installed were purchased through a grant from the Claire C. Bennitt Watershed Fund.

"The students who participated have impacted our community. Residents and the town of Hamden benefited because the goal of installing the storm drain medallions was to protect water quality in our local waterbodies, namely the Mill River and its tributaries, which are used for recreation and as a drinking water supply source,” said DiGiovanni. “I especially enjoy the wildlife along the water, like the herons that nest at the Waite Street Bridge, and better water quality helps them too.”