Smart gutters help combat stormwater pollution

Frog Creek Partners has announced it is rolling out its stormwater filtration system across the US to help support major coast-to-coast stormwater pollution capture initiatives.

The environmental technology company claims its Gutter Bin technology can protect watersheds by catching 5.2 billion kilograms of pollution annually from some 40 million storm drains.

Stormwater initiatives

Stormwater pollution capture initiatives include the likes of California’s Trash Amendments and the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) east coast efforts in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

According to Frog Creek, its Gutter Bin stormwater filtration system has successfully rid regional cities like Denver, Colorado (Platte watershed); Sheridan, Wyoming (Yellowstone River watershed) and Long Beach, California, of thousands of kilograms of pollution.

The Gutter Bin captures pollution from flowing stormwater with a removable patent-pending Mundus Bag filter that is easily cleaned, maintained and weighed to provide measurable and quantifiable results at the storm drain.

“The city of Sheridan first started using Gutter Bins in mid-2016 because of a sediment [total maximum daily load] TMDL in Big Goose Creek,” said Lane Thompson, public works director for Sheridan.

“We’ve proven that the right technology paired with the right partnerships can accelerate Clean Water Act initiatives”

“We have since expanded the project in cooperation with the USEPA and Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. The Gutter Bins and service provided by Frog Creek Partners is working very well to catch pollution before it makes its way to our critically important watersheds.”

“We’ve proven that the right technology paired with the right partnerships can accelerate Clean Water Act initiatives,” added Brian Deurloo, president and founder, Frog Creek Partners.

“Municipalities are moving towards the Gutter Bin because it is an easy solution to a hard problem and corporations are seeking tangible means to deploy capital that creates a positive difference to the quality of our environment. We do what we do because clean water is a good thing.”

Green water partnerships

Frog Creek points to the Greenway Foundation of Denver as an example of a green water partnership that it is involved to offset costs of stormwater pollution mitigation to municipalities. It customises the Gutter Bin to create functional street art and corporate branding opportunities in exchange for sponsorship.

“The Greenway Foundation has been working since 1974 to restore and revitalise the South Platte River watershed and stormwater pollution has been one of our greatest challenges,” said Devon Buckels, director of the water connection initiative of the Greenway Foundation.

“Every year, local non-governmental organisations and the Flood Control District spend $1.5m removing trash from the South Platte River by hand, one piece at a time. Much of that trash finds its way to our waterways through Denver’s storm drains.”

He continued: “We’re thrilled to tap into this innovative technology from Frog Creek Partners to capture and remove the pollution before it reaches our waterways.”

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