Washington Succeeds in Removing Floating Pollution From Waterways

A pile of trash is a symbol of Washington’s commitment to the environment and clean water. The city, along with the Anacostia riverkeeper, successfully installed the nation’s first Bandalong Litter Trap last spring to collect and stop the downstream movement of the discarded waste of Washingtonians. Within six months, the device quietly removed approximately 4,000 lb of floating litter from the Anacostia River, one of the nation’s most polluted waterways.

Storm Water Systems, the North American licensee of the Bandalong Litter Trap, has joined other concerned organizations in the District to talk about trash and how to remove it at the Potomac Watershed Trash Summit. Across the globe, communities like Washington have installed the Bandalong Litter Trap to aid in keeping waterways clean 24 hours a day, Storm Water Systems said. The trash removed in six months from the Anacostia River was collected by Washington’s Earth Conservation Corp. and consisted of plastic bottles, balls and bags as well as several tires and a shopping cart.

The annual Potomac Watershed Trash Summit is a gathering of concerned citizens, advocates and government leaders in the Washington area to move closer to their goal of a trash-free Potomac watershed by 2013. Recent studies focusing on the toxicity and longevity of trash in waterways, as well as the documented harm it causes to wildlife, are turning the tide against acceptance and toward action.

“Taking responsibility for nonpoint source pollution such as litter is a new concept for many cities to grapple with,” said Gary Hopkins, president of Storm Water Systems. “Here in D.C., they are setting a great example for the country by forming a collaboration of organizations to combat the pollution situation before national mandates are enacted. Just as we see the Bandalong Litter Trap as an invaluable tool to clean waterways, we see these collaborations as crucial for the removal of floating litter from our rivers and creating a healthy environment.”

Earlier this year, Storm Water Systems worked firsthand with a like alliance of a smaller scale to permanently install the Bandalong Litter Trap in a tributary to the Anacostia River, often called Washington’s “forgotten river,” the company said.

Anacostia Riverkeeper Dottie Yunger brought together the Earth Conservation Corps. and the District Department of the Environment under Mayor Adrian M. Fenty’s Green D.C. program to find the funding and appropriate site for the nation’s first such collection device.

“Advancements in technology such as the Bandalong Litter Trap allow for floating litter to be stopped in its tracks at all hours of the day, every day, free of human or energy assistance,” Yunger said. “With this investment, the District is leading the nation and making a concrete statement and commitment to clean water for decades to come.”

Source: Storm Water Systems