A combined storm and sanitary sewer system in the District of Columbia serves 12,955 acres, or 33 percent of the city. Stormwater runoff conveys a significant portion of trash from streets, road right-of-ways, and sidewalks to outfalls discharging to the Anacostia River.
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments estimates that more than 20,000 tons of trash enters the river every year. Depending on the tide, heavy flows during rainstorms propel the litter downstream into tidal wetlands or upstream into the national Kenilworth Park, Aquatic Gardens, and Marsh. The trash is an eyesore and environmental nuisance.
To manage the litter, the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority runs skimmer boats on the river, cleans catch basins, and does limited street sweeping. Nevertheless, John Wasiutynski, environment protection specialist with the District Department of the Environment (DDOE), knew the efforts were insufficient to comply with state clean water regulations that would go into effect in January 2010.
Then Robert Boone of the Anacostia River Watershed Society met Gary Hopkins, president of Storm Water Systems Inc. in Cleveland, Ga., at a trade show. Hopkins showed him the Bandalong Litter Trap, a floating device that uses the current to guide and capture litter.
“We were excited when Bob told us about the product,” says Wasiutynski. “We designed a two-year test project for it, then received a grant to purchase it.” Installed in April 2009, the trap had collected 5,000 pounds of wet trash by the end of October. It operates year-round, and all the litter goes to a landfill.
