Trash Reduction Strategy

The Anacostia Watershed Society advocates for the removal and abatement of litter in streams as one of many tangible steps to make the Anacostia River fishable and swimmable by 2013. Together with local government agencies and technology vendors, AWS is spearheading the implementation of end-of-pipe solutions including total capture trash trap devices as shown in the adjacent figure. This technology is a rapid response method that can be installed and dismantled in less than 2 days. Conceptually, all trash that is flushed down a storm sewer with the initial pulse of stormwater is captured either by a disposable nylon mesh net or reusable metal grating.

In addition to professional solutions, other cheaper alternatives exist that AWS will be pursuing.

Beginning in early 2008, AWS will be installing a trash rack on Nash Run to trap litter as it's flushed down by stormwater. As part of our charge to restore the Anacostia, this pilot project will monitor and remove the trash that enters the Kenilworth Marsh adjoining the Aquatic Gardens from the Deanwood Metro neighborhood. By trapping the trash that enters Kenilworth Marsh, AWS will begin to improve the health and appearance of the wetland, and by extension the Anacostia River. The vitality of the Kenilworth Marsh wetland ecosystem will start to rebound as the trash burden is reduced, benefiting wildlife in and around the wetland and improving recreational aesthetics. A visibly more attractive Kingman Lake will have an important motivational benefit for area citizens.

All captured trash will be weighed and potentially characterized for subsequent analysis.

DC-WASA Trash Trap

DC-WASA Trash Trap and boom on a CSO in Washington DC.

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EXECUTIVE JACK JOHNSON (D—MD) ANNOUNCES PLAN TO INSTALL NEW TRASH TRAP DEVICE ON THE ANACOSTIA RIVER

By Steven Reynolds
August 17, 2007

Bladensburg, MD —On Wednesday, August 8, Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson announced a county plan to install a new device that will help remove litter and other debris from the waters of the Anacostia River. Making a statement during a briefing on the state of water pollution in the river convened by the Anacostia Watershed Society, Mr. Johnson pledged to commit funding to pilot the installation of a Bandalong Litter Trap along the Anacostia’s Lower Beaverdam Creek tributary.

“The interesting thing is that a small amount of investment can have such a tremendous dividend,” Johnson remarked, as he described the potential impact of the new $35,000 to $40,000 device.

Based on technology developed in Australia, the Bandalong system differs from other trash capture devices by the power of tides and currents to capture and hold litter entering a water system from multiple or nonpoint pollution sources. Two other trash trap devices are already in use along the Anacostia in Prince George’s County and Washington, DC; however, they remove trash bound for the river from only single or point sources, such as combined sewer outfalls (CSOs) or municipal storm drains.

A report issued in 2006 by the Environmental Technology Centre of the Institute for Environmental Sciences at Murdoch University ( Perth, Australia) describes the Bandalong trap as a “simple and cost-effective solution” for dealing with litter, as well as certain oils and chemicals that find their way into rivers, lakes, and streams. Engineered to float on top of the water, the trap is durable and flexible enough to withstand significant flood water and tidal fluctuations without impinging on the surrounding environment. In addition to posing no hazard to boat traffic, the Bandalong design prevents water flow restrictions rendering it safe for use around aquatic animal and plant life.

According to AWS President Robert Boone, 12 to 15 of the new trash trap devices will need to be deployed at various points along the Anacostia River and its tributaries in order to make the river trash free by 2012. This environmental benchmark was established in 2006 alongside the Trash Free Potomac Watershed Initiative which seeks a similar result on the Potomac River by 2013. Provided the pilot trash trap performs as expected, Mr. Johnson promised to seek county funding for additional devices.

“If we can get the District [of Columbia] to do this and Montgomery [County, Maryland] to do this, we can be actually trash free by 2012,” Boone said, lauding the Prince George’s County effort.

Boone has directed the environmental efforts of the Anacostia Watershed Society since its founding in 1989. Over the past 18 years, AWS has removed more than 785 tons of trash and more than 11,000 discarded tires from the Anacostia River and its tributaries in Prince George’s County, Montgomery County, and the District of Columbia.