Thursday, 07/11/2024 | 19:44 GMT+7
Trash and debris polluting
America's waterways is a critical problem in major cities across the world...and
Baltimore is no exception. The EPA declared Baltimore's harbor
"impaired" by aquatic litter - the third water body in the nation to
earn such a designation - under the Clean Water Act.
Each year, tons of trash wash into
the harbor and are then dumped into the Chesapeake Bay. By example, after the
torrential storms last week, debris littered the Inner Harbor as a result of
trash that was carried down from storm drains. Not only an eyesore, the trash
adds to the pollution that makes the harbor harmful to humans.
Inner Harbor Water Wheel can pick up 50,000 pounds of trash and debris every day
But all is not lost and Baltimore
is hard at work finding solutions to this problem. Baltimore's Waterfront
Partnership just unveiled and installed a "Water Wheel" that can
capture up to 50,000 pounds of trash and debris every day, using solar power
and water current to run.
"Our goal is to put the water
wheel out of business," said Laurie Schwartz, president of the Waterfront
Partnership of Baltimore, who coordinated the effort as part of the
organization's Healthy Harbor initiative.
The 100,000-pound trash-collecting
device, created by Clearwater Mills, uses new technology to solve an age-old
problem. It is powered by the sun and water current. Debris is funneled into
the device and then onto a conveyor belt that deposits it into a dumpster, which
is emptied once full.
The belt is powered by the wheel,
which turns as water flows into the harbor. Solar panels on the contraption's
canopy provide electricity when the current isn't strong enough. The panels
also recharge a battery, which is used when there is no current or sun.
Solardaily.com