Oakland County board recognizes winners in eco-friendly calendar contest

Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash also recognized

By: Andy Kozlowski | C&G Newspapers | Published January 30, 2025

 The grand prize winner for the 2025 Kids’ Clean Water Calendar Contest was “Ban Plastics!” by Vipra Parilesh Jain, a fifth grader from Hampton Elementary School in Rochester Hills. To see a gallery of all the winners, visit oakgov.com/government/water-resources-commssioner, click the “Education” tab under “Quick Links,” and then click “Kid’s Clean Water Calendar Contest”  n the left, and “2025 Contest  Artwork Gallery.”

The grand prize winner for the 2025 Kids’ Clean Water Calendar Contest was “Ban Plastics!” by Vipra Parilesh Jain, a fifth grader from Hampton Elementary School in Rochester Hills. To see a gallery of all the winners, visit oakgov.com/government/water-resources-commssioner, click the “Education” tab under “Quick Links,” and then click “Kid’s Clean Water Calendar Contest” n the left, and “2025 Contest Artwork Gallery.”

Photo provided by Julia Ruffin

 At the Jan. 23 meeting of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, Vipra Parilesh Jain  received a proclamation for her grand prize-winning entry in the Kids’ Clean Water Calendar Contest.

At the Jan. 23 meeting of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, Vipra Parilesh Jain received a proclamation for her grand prize-winning entry in the Kids’ Clean Water Calendar Contest.

Photo by Erin Sanchez

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OAKLAND COUNTY — The Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office is teaching young people about environmental stewardship through the Kids’ Clean Water Calendar Contest, now in its 20th year.

At its meeting Jan. 23, members of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners recognized the winners of the contest, as well as the water resources commissioner himself, Jim Nash, a Democrat.

More than 17,000 students from public, private, and home school systems in Oakland County have participated throughout the history of the program. During his tenure, Nash’s nonprofit group Pure Oakland Water has funded 5,500 printed calendars featuring the winning art, as well as prizes for the winners each year.

“This is a wonderful program. It really helps get kids involved in thinking about how we can we keep our watersheds clean,” said Oakland County Commissioner Ann Erickson Gault, D-Troy. “And I am especially pleased with the work that Commissioner Nash has done over the years — not only in protecting our environment but also raising people’s awareness for the issues we face.”

This year’s contest featured exceptional art by fourth and fifth graders. The theme: “We can all help to keep Oakland County’s lakes, rivers, streams and watersheds clean.”

The grand prize winner was Vipra Parilesh Jain, a fifth grader from Hampton Elementary School in Rochester Hills. Her piece is titled “Ban Plastics!” and shows the merits of reusing bags, sorting waste and planting trees, as well as the dangers of discarding single-use plastics, with fish and other animals entangled in them.

“I’m looking at the calendar right now, and I notice a lot of kids were talking about the problem of single-use plastics,” Gault said. “They’ve become endemic in our culture. I was just at an event where water was served in little plastic bottles, and the alternative was coffee or lemonade served in plastic cups, with plastic spoons to stir your coffee. So it’s important to raise awareness about plastic waste and how to reduce it and recycle it.”

To view the list of winners, and to see their submissions, visit oakgov.com/government/water-resources-commissioner, click the “Education” tab under “Quick Links,” and then click “Kid’s Clean Water Calendar Contest” on the left, and then “2025 Contest Artwork Gallery.”

 

‘Clean water is a human right’
In the early 1900s, state lawmakers established the office of county drain commissioner to deal with drainage issues. In 2009, it was rebranded the Water Resources Commission, reflecting a wider array of responsibilities. Today, the commission oversees water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, stormwater drainage, lake level controls and more.

In Oakland County, Nash has held the elected position since 2013. A long-time advocate for environmental protections, he is concerned about the use of fossil fuels feeding into climate change. He believes regional collaboration is needed to future-proof infrastructure against the more intense rainfall that falls as a result.

To this end, Nash’s administration has been introducing “green” stormwater infrastructure, native plant landscaping, and constructing drainage systems that manage rainwater naturally while reducing the risks of pollution and basement flooding after heavy storms.

He has also been leading educational efforts such as expanding watershed festivals for about 3,000 fourth and fifth graders who learn about environmental protection at Oakland University and the Cranbrook Institute of Science. Nash also launched Blue Planet Jobs, which introduces ninth and 11th grade students to careers in the water, sewer and stormwater industry.

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The Water Resources Commission has also been studying the issue of water affordability, developing proposals for programs that would assist families across the state struggling to pay their water and sewer bills.

Locally, the commission has partnered with United Way for Southeastern Michigan on the creation of the Hardship Assistance Program, which assists Oakland County households that may need help with their water and sewer bills but may not qualify for existing assistance programs. The program is open to Oakland County residents who get their water from a municipal water system, not a private well.

More information about the program is available under “Water Affordability” at the Water Resources Commission’s website at oakgov.com/wrchardship. Those who wish to support the program can also make tax-deductible donations at the website.

“Having access to clean water is a human right, not a privilege,” Gault said. “It shouldn’t be based on your ability to pay. There are far too many people in metro Detroit who are struggling to pay their water bills.”

 

Protecting our water
The Water Resources Commission currently operates and maintains more than $18.4 billion worth of water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure serving Oakland County and regional systems.

More than 156,000 local water customers are serviced across multiple communities, via nearly 1,500 miles of water mains, 27 well houses and water treatment facilities, and a dozen water storage tanks with a combined capacity of 12 million gallons.

The commission also operates and maintains more than 1,200 miles of sanitary sewers, along with 18 life stations to manage gravity flow. To top it off, there are also 74 dams across Oakland County that fall under the jurisdiction of the Water Resources Commission.

In an email interview, Nash said the top priorities have always been protecting the health and safety of residents by ensuring clean water and reliable sewage systems.

“Replacing lead service lines is important to maintain that goal. After all, removing the lead pipes can promote public health for our most vulnerable residents, such as young children,” he said. “Ensuring all residents can afford their water services is vitally important for their wellbeing and the sustainable systems they pay for.”

He said residents can also do their part to protect the environment by taking advantage of programs such as RainSmart, now in its second year. Residents in the George W. Kuhn Drain District can receive a rebate of up to $2,000 for green infrastructure such as rain barrels, rain gardens or trees that were installed to help retain stormwater on their properties.

“By doing this, less water enters storm drains, limiting potential pollution or flooding in the area. Last year’s green infrastructure installations are estimated to reduce flow into nearby storm drains by over 600,000 gallons a year,” Nash said. “This program, and the educational outreach we do across the county, helps our citizens understand how they can help protect our waters and environment for a sustainable future for their kids and future generations.”

Gault said it’s vital work.

“Everything that runs off our properties and goes down our sewers ends up in our watershed. There is a drain in Madison Heights where it’s filtered and cleaned, but we still need to do our part to keep motor oil and other contaminants from getting into our surface water, because not all of it goes directly into the drain,” Gault said. “I have nothing but praise for Commissioner Nash and his team — he has excellent taste in his staff, and they all do a phenomenal job protecting our water.”