Thousands of people, way too much beer and not enough bathrooms.

It’s an ugly situation, and city officials are trying to make sure football fans, like the ones at this Saturday’s game against Minnesota, have someplace to go when they have to go.

A new program aims to decrease public urination at Northwestern’s home football games.

The initiative, established at the beginning of the 2007 football season, features an increase in portable toilets around Ryan Field, the use of facilities at St. Athanasius School and more police officers stationed outside the stadium, said Judy Berg, the head of the North Evanston Watch, a group dedicated to maintaining the North Evanston neighborhood around the stadium.

Seventeen portable toilets are located in tailgating areas, others are in Wildcat Alley, and a trailer with facilities was put at the south end of the stadium, said Scott Arey, NU’s assistant athletic director for facilities.

“(The athletic department) increased the number of portables in the parking lot to kind of give people another option – the option of using a portable,” Arey said. “Both (Evanston and University) Police Departments have taken responsibility of enforcing the ordinance … (They’re) out looking for it rather than waiting for someone to call and complain about it.”

While public urination has been illegal since 2004 and carries a $75 fine, officials are now stepping up their efforts to curtail violations.

“Both the Evanston Police Department and the University Police have been trying to monitor the areas around the stadium to enforce the city ordinance against those types of actions as well as provide a presence that hopefully will discourage people from doing those types of actions,” University Police Assistant Chief Daniel McAleer said.

The changes came as a result of resident complaints, Arey said.

“It’s just something that our neighbors brought to our attention that people were in alleys … doing things like that and we reacted to it,” he said. “They were concerned and as a result so were we.”

But not all residents are upset about the situation. Jeff Smith, the president of the Central Street Neighbors Association, who lives about a mile from the stadium, said he’s never heard anything about public urination.

“Hundreds of people walk down Central Street and Harrison Street, (but) I’ve never seen anything like that and I’ve never heard anything like that,” Smith said. “Wrigley Field yeah; Ryan Field, no.”

Some students said they understand why the residents who are affected would be unhappy.

“I wouldn’t enjoy it on my property at all,” Weinberg freshman George Stoichev said.

According to the program’s supporters, the public urination problem came to a head last November following a loss to Ohio State University.

“I think it was after (last year’s) OSU game that everyone complained,” said Ald. Elizabeth Tisdahl (7th), whose district includes Ryan Field.

A meeting was called in April between residents and city and university officials to discuss the issue. After another meeting in August, the group formed a plan.

Some students are doubtful that the measures will actually have any long-term effects, especially in the alcohol-rich environment that is college football.

“I’m assuming the people doing it are already drunk enough that they’d have no regard for signs or warnings,” Stoichev said. “The only way to stop it is (to) have security guards everywhere.”

However, organizers said the program is working.

“It’s reduced the number of incidents,” Tisdahl said. “The neighbors are much happier.”

McAleer said there have been few citations this season for public urination, but he wasn’t sure if there have been fewer this year than last.

No further changes are currently planned, but officials said they are open to more vigilant measures after the season ends.

“I’m knocking on wood, but it appears that things are okay right now,” Arey said. “We’re not going to change or increase (the measures), because I think that what we’ve done has been successful. But if I’m proven wrong by, say, Iowa fans down the road, we’ll do what we can to prevent it.”

Reach Brian Rosenthal at [email protected].