eliminated, Tius decided to chemically 

 synthesize sarcophytol A in the labora- 

 tory. To synthesize a substance, chemists 

 design and build molecules like archi- 

 tects design buildings. Usually the syn- 

 thesized compound is slightly different 

 from the original, and chemists call these 

 analogs. 



Tius developed four analogs of 

 sarcophytol A, with all retaining an alco- 

 hol group that he felt held the key to the 

 substance's anti-tumor activity. After 

 testing, two of the analogs proved suc- 

 cessful and were actually more active 

 anti-tumor promoters than the natural 

 sarcophytol A. 



Despite these successes, drug devel- 

 opment is still a wave of the future. Tius 

 says an even more potent analog is 

 needed before drug development can be 

 contemplated. But he believes that a drug 

 can be developed. 



"Such a drug would shield a person 

 from developing cancer," Tius says. 

 "People who are in a high-risk group to 

 develop cancer, such as those who have 

 intestinal polyps, are in remission or have 

 a family history of the disease, would be 

 likely candidates for this treatment." 



N.C. Stormwater 

 Management Conference 



Stormwater is a universal byproduct 

 of paving and building. Water that runs 

 off streets and parking lots has to be 

 disposed of properly, and it's a planning 

 issue that most local governments 

 grapple with. The latest information in 

 managing stormwater will be presented 

 at the N.C. Stormwater Management 

 Conference, Feb. 17-18, at the Radisson 

 Hotel in Asheville. 



Among the presentations will be a 

 talk on stormwater education given by 

 Barbara Doll, N.C. Sea Grant's coastal 

 water quality specialist. 



The conference is sponsored by the 

 Land-of-Sky Regional Council and N.C. 

 Division of Environmental Management 

 to help local government officials de- 

 velop comprehensive stormwater man- 

 agement programs. It will highlight exist- 

 ing and future stormwater regulations 

 and focus on compliance by local gov- 

 ernments. 



The conference will also be useful to 

 state and federal officials, engineers and 

 project design professionals, homebuild- 

 ers and economic developers, landown- 

 ers, water resource professionals, natural 

 resource managers, environmentalists 

 and concerned citizens. 



The conference fee is $60 after Feb. 

 4, and it includes a stormwater manage- 

 ment guidebook, other handouts, two 

 lunches and all breaks. For a registration 

 form, write LOSRC, 25 Heritage Drive, 

 Asheville, NC 28806. Or call 704/ 

 254-8131 for information. 



Painting Storm Drains 



to Clean Up 



Rocky Branch Creek 



Sometimes spray painting is more 

 than graffiti. It can be a public service. 



Environmental clubs at N.C. State 

 University joined a November storm 

 drain stenciling project to heighten 

 awareness of Rocky Branch Creek and 

 reduce the pollution that drains into it. 

 N.C. Sea Grant sponsored the project to 

 stencil about 80 campus drains and catch 

 basins with the phrase, "Don't Dump! 

 Drains To Rocky Branch Creek." 



mmm to 

 mm 



HMCH 

 CREEK 



The next phase of the project, di- 

 rected by coastal water quality specialist 

 Barbara Doll, is to expand stenciling to 

 drains in Raleigh and the coast. 



A priority of this effort is to 

 heighten awareness of rivers, creeks and 

 estuaries and to alert the public that dis- 

 charges into storm drains can pollute 

 these valuable resources, Doll says. After 

 a rain, water and pollutants from streets 

 and sidewalks collect in these drains and 

 travel to nearby waters through a series 

 of pipes that make up the stormwater 

 system. These drains are also commonly 

 misused as dumping sites for paint, grass 

 clippings, street litter, motor oil and other 

 wastes. 



"Many people either don't consider 

 where these drains go or they assume the 

 drains are connected to the wastewater 

 treatment plant," Doll says. "This type of 

 nonpoint source pollution is a serious 

 problem for most urban lakes and 

 streams." 



Currently, storm drain stenciling 

 programs are reducing urban water pollu- 

 tion in 31 states. Leading programs are in 

 Virginia and Maryland in the Chesapeake 

 Bay area, New York and Connecticut in 

 areas draining to Long Island Sound and 

 Florida. In North Carolina, Doll and state 

 agencies are working to expand storm 

 drain painting projects. 



The recent NCSU stenciling project 

 targeted drains on university property in 

 the watershed of Rocky Branch Creek, 

 which drains into the Neuse River via 

 Walnut Creek. Over the years, the creek 

 has been plagued by problems associated 

 with development and urban activities. It 

 was once declared the state's most pol- 

 luted urban stream by the N.C. Division 

 of Environmental Management. Today, it 

 continues to suffer from algal blooms, 

 slimy green algae on rocks, severe 

 sloughing and erosion of the 

 streambanks, damaged culverts and 

 storm drain systems, poor water clarity 

 and surface patches of oil and grease. 



Doll is working with NCSU to re- 

 pair the environmental damage to the 

 creek. In addition to the stenciling 

 project, she is involved in a larger cam- 

 pus project to stabilize the Rocky Branch 

 streambanks and improve water quality. 



For more information about storm 

 drain stenciling, contact Doll at 919/ 

 515-5287 or write her at N.C. Sea Grant, 

 Box 8605, Raleigh, NC 27695-8605. 



24 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1993 



