Example of a “Bandalong Litter Trap”
An innovative litter trap that floats in rivers and collects floating trash has received a critical boost from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD), according to the South River Watershed Alliance (SRWA).
The Alliance and a partnership of community organizations, businesses and local governments recently received notification of a $75,000 Regional Water Planning Seed Grant from the EPD. The grant money will be used toward the purchase of a $324,000 “Bandalong Litter Trap” for the river.
Once installed, the trap will significantly reduce the amount of floating trash that washes down the South River and into Jackson Lake, according to the Alliance. “Trash-laden stormwater is a major problem for the residents of Jackson Lake and South River,” noted SRWA president Jackie Echols.
The Alliance and the Jackson Lake Homeowners Association have been working on a solution to the trash problem that would improve water quality in the river, the lake, communities downstream from the lake – and potentially Georgia’s coastal communities.
The Jackson Lake Homeowners Association has committed to raising $25,000 from its members and matching that with an additional $25,000 from its rainy-day fund for a total of $50,000. The Alliance has donated $10,000 and Georgia Power Company, which owns and operates the reservoir, has donated $25,000. The organizations are about half way to their goal of raising the funds needed to pay for the trash trap.
Plastic bottles, styrofoam and other types of floating trash frequently end up in America’s streams, rivers, lakes and oceans.
The South River ends in Jackson Lake, 60 miles southeast of Atlanta, but floodwaters can send the trash into the Ocmulgee River, which joins the Oconee River 241 miles downstream to form the Altamaha. Along the way, the Ocmulgee and its tributaries drain an estimated 6,180 square miles in sections of thirty-three counties.
The Altamaha River flows generally eastward for 137 miles towards the Atlantic, where it empties into the ocean near Brunswick, Georgia.
Floating trash is local, regional, and global, problem.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific trash vortex, spans waters from the West Coast of North America to Japan. The patch is comprised of the Western Garbage Patch, located near Japan, and the Eastern Garbage Patch, located between the U.S. states of Hawaii and California.
The seafloor beneath the Great Pacific Garbage Patch may also contain an underwater trash heap. Oceanographers and ecologists recently discovered that about 70 percent of marine debris sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
Jenna Jambeck, a University of Georgia associate professor of engineering, is recognized for her groundbreaking work on waste management and marine debris. Over the last three years, she led a collaborative research initiative that, for the first time, rigorously quantified the amount of mismanaged plastic that flows into the global ocean from 192 countries with coastal access.
Jambeck and her colleagues calculated that eight million metric tons of plastic enter the oceans every year, the majority from rapidly developing economies with lagging infrastructure. Without intervention, this annual input is expected to double by 2025.
It has taken a massive effort to get to this point, Echols, of the Alliance, said. Indeed, the organization still needs nearly $165,000 to acquire the trap.
“This project would not be possible without the help of many partners, especially the DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management. We needed to identify a suitable site on the river to locate the litter trap, to ensure ongoing cleaning and maintenance of the trap, and DeKalb County has done both,” Echols said.
Echols noted the site meets all engineering requirements, public access is limited, which makes cleaning and maintenance easier, and trash collection can be optimized at the location, which does not interfere with aesthetics or public access to the river. The trap is also environmentally friendly, she explained.
The litter trap will be located near Snapfinger Wastewater Treatment Facility on Flakes Mill Road. It is estimated that the trap will capture as much as 50 to 80 percent of the trash that enters the river from upstream. The South River Watershed Alliance anticipates the trap could be operational within the next 12 months.
Residents of Jackson Lake are excited about the prospect of much less trash making its way to the lake, said Jared Godin, president of the Jackson Lake Homeowners Association. “Jackson Lake is downstream of two of the most densely populated counties in metro Atlanta and trash is a big problem,” he said. “We have been working toward this day for a long time, and thanks to SRWA and its watershed-wide focus, success is within reach.”
Marcie Seleb, general manager of the Butts County, et al. Water and Sewer Authority, thanked the partners for their commitment to the project. “I have never worked with such a diverse partnership of groups and organizations on a single project. It is a great feeling and makes the likelihood of success even greater,” she said.
Several fundraising events are planned over the next several months to raise additional funds, Echols said. She encouraged any foundation, business, nonprofit, or individual to donate by visiting SRWA’s website homepage, clicking on the donation button, and including “litter trap” on the memo line. The Alliance is a 501c3 organization and thus donations are tax deductible.
