After consulting experts and making observations, the group determined that a buffer zone would decrease the value of waterfront property by nearly one-third. Instead, the Runoff Reductors propose having a grass-covered berm at the edge of the property. The dirt would act as a filter to catch pollutants, the grass would minimize erosion. In addition, the property value would remain roughly the same. They want to minimize the coliform bacteria in water such as public swimming pools.
Chlorine is the main chemical used to clean the water, mostly because it is cheapest.
Other methods include the use of iodine and UV rays. The group determined that it takes an average of one hour to properly filter pools in water parks - even longer in children's pools. The group worked with General Electric to try to find ways to decrease the coliform bacteria level in the water by altering the amount of iodine and by using agar in petri dishes to highlight the bacteria. Although the group did not determine a solution to the problem, the members believe that with the right tools and enough money they would be able to help fix it. If they had won the national contest, both teams had intended to use the prize money to pursue their experiments.