June 23, 2023

Bowling Green State University graduate student Zach Hayes is spending his summer working for the City of Perrysburg as a Stormwater Geographic Information Systems (GIS) intern. His internship involves identifying static assets underground such as stormwater systems, manholes, pipes, culverts, and ponds, and inputting them into a GIS database. 

“This work is important because managing infrastructure and making sure the day-to-day functions of the city operate smoothly is greatly assisted by maintaining a GIS database,” Hayes said. 

His work this summer will help improve the mapping of the City’s infrastructure so utility crews can better locate and maintain its systems. 

“We've had a pressing need to update our GIS and needed assistance with stormwater related inspections and field verification of structures as our environmentally related programs have evolved,” said Stormwater Program Technician Lauren Rush. 

This type of work has been a big part of Hayes’ undergraduate and now graduate studies.  

“GIS is a great way to create maps depicting the locations and attributes of anything you could possibly think of, and in my experience, it has been really useful in the types of work that I've done.” 

Hayes, a Pinckney, MI native, graduated from the University of Michigan - Flint in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Energy and Sustainable Systems and a minor in Urban and Regional Planning. He joined Americorps and served two terms with the organization in the City of Flint. His first term was with Flint’s Planning and Development Department working on a variety of projects such as playground installation, implementation of a street tree planting grant, laying the foundation of a skatepark advocacy committee, and mapping streetlights in city parks. His second Americorps term was with Flint’s Office of Blight Elimination where he led community cleanups, gathered data at illegal dumping hotspots, and participated in blight elimination service projects.  

Hayes also did some work with Genesee County Parks, which directly relates to what he is doing here with the City of Perrysburg’s Department of Public Utilities. 

“I had the same equipment setup: a GPS unit and an iPad to be able to accurately field map trails and notable features in their off-road vehicle park,” he said. “Here, we are using the same equipment to map City stormwater and sanitary sewer assets accurately, so we know where water is flowing when it goes down any given drain.” 

While working in Flint, Hayes was helping to collect data for a city-wide neighborhood inventory which was a grant-funded research position with Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine. Once that position was winding down, he decided to pursue his master’s degree in Applied Geospatial Science at BGSU.  

“At that time, it had almost been 8 years since I began college, and changes happen frequently in the GIS field, enough for me to feel as though I would gain good knowledge if I were to go back to school,” he said. “Overall, I felt like the timing was right for me, both professionally and personally.” 

Hayes chose BGSU because the school offered a degree that is heavily focused on GIS. 

“In addition to knowing someone close to me that would be going there in the Fall, BGSU offered a degree that encompassed the environmental and technical overlap that I was seeking additional education in.”  

During his internship with the Department of Public Utilities, Hayes has learned much about the City’s stormwater infrastructure and is impressed with how the City takes water quality seriously.  

“I've already learned so much about construction site inspections, reading record drawings, stormwater and sanitary sewer terminology, and how we use natural principles and physics to ensure better quality water re-entering our waterways,” Hayes said. 

Hayes finds this work rewarding and hopes to continue this type of career after he graduates in December. He wants to continue his mission to work for the public good. 

“Working for a municipality or a nonprofit doing similar work to maintain and improve the quality of life for residents in a community is something I would like to continue in my career,” he said.  

“It is very important to conserve our natural resources and educate people on the ways that we symbiotically interact with nature. Cities are hubs of human activity and act as areas of greatest potential for improvement in those two areas.”