The Leadership Shelby County Program and a group of Pelham High School students are working together to improve Shelby County&8217;s water quality problems.

The students will install colorful storm drain makers Saturday, March 31 in the Stonehaven subdivision in effort to help prevent non-point source pollution (NPS) in Shelby County.

The purpose of the project is to better educate residents on how NPS can be controlled and to increase the community&8217;s involvement.

&8220;We want to get the word out to residents about the problem,&8221; said Edna Felton, participant in the Leadership Shelby County&8217;s 2007 class. &8220;People cut their grass with lawn mowers and the clippings fall creating non-point source pollution.&8221;

NPS is caused by storm- water runoff combining with human-made pollutants like litter, lawn fertilizers, oil and grease from motorized vehicles and pet waste.

This is one of the projects the 2007 Leadership Shelby County class will present in May during their graduation.

Leadership Shelby County, an independent non-profit and non-partisan organization, is currently accepting nominations for their 2008 class.

If you have leadership skills and a commitment to enhance the future of Shelby County, then Leadership Shelby County may be the group for you.

&8220;Annually, Leadership Shelby County provides an opportunity for companies and individuals to gain exposure to the integral components of Shelby County,&8221; said President Tyrone Fenderson Jr, in a statement. &8220;This exposure enables companies, through the involvement of their central figures, to gain access to key decision makers in every facet of our community.&8221;

Individuals may be nominated by an alumnus, a board member of Leadership Shelby County or nominate him/herself.

The application deadline for the program is June 1.

For an application or more information about the project contact coordinator Carol Bruser at mailto:bruserca@montevallo.edu or 205-665-6007