Mysteries of the Great Lakes - IMAX movie at American Museum of Natural History

Yesterday I went to the American Museum of Natural History in NYC and saw the IMAX movie "Mysteries of the Great Lakes".   Honestly, I had not spent a lot of time thinking about the Great Lakes but because of my interest in water, it was eye opening in many ways - not only seeing how big the Great Lakes are , but to be made aware of their natural beauty.  In focusing on water, it was most interesting to me to learn that The Great Lakes contain 20% of the world's fresh water supply and that it takes a drop of water 400 years to travel from the headwaters of Lake Superior to the edge of Lake Ontario.  Looking at the map was helpful.  

I was also most interested in the focus on wildlife that survives on life in the Great Lakes - including Eagles, Caribou and Sturgeon.  The segments on Sturgeon were amazing as they had been tracking this species' population for the past 20 years and had been tracking/studying a specific female sturgeon for the past 20 years.  Amazingly, the one scientist could identify her simply from the markings on her head.  At her most recent capture/release event her age was 120 years old!  Through their research they learned how to look at the scales or fins (can't remember which one) and, like reading rings in a tree trunk, scientists learned how to read the environmental conditions of the Great Lakes.  

Sturgeon of the Great Lakes had thrived by the millions for millions of years but had significantly declined in numbers due to over-fishing and pollution.   During the film, several pictures were shown from long ago ( maybe 100 years ago?) where the subjects of the pictures were proud of their businesses and lives and could display their most recent abundant catch of sturgeon.  From a 2010 perspective, it was hard to get beyond the waste and destruction, the man-hours and work dedicated to improving the environmental conditions of the Great Lakes and  reviving the sturgeon population.   It seems there are still 42 "hot spots" - where lake quality is highly degraded due to pollution coming from industrial waste and waste water treatment plants.  Hopefully clean-up in the lake can continue and we can learn to make better environmental choices.

This was a great movie and I encourage you all to see it.  Here are the showtimes for the IMAX showings at the New York Museum of Natural History.  You might want to check out some of the exhibits including the  Silk Road Exhibit.  One word of advice for the Silk Road, enjoy the journey, but don't get caught up in stamping your "passport".

TerreKleen Hydrodynamic Separator is NJCAT Verified!

Big day for improving stormwater!

TerreKleen  went through a lengthy process and a lot of testing to get certified through NJCAT.  The testing protocol is very precise and the NJDEP testing guidelines were strictly followed .We were excited today to receive NJCAT verification letter!   We would be happy to speak with you about the TerreKleen and how this hydrodynamic separator can improve your stormwater runoff in the smallest area footprint!

Click here to read more about the TerreKleen.

Gearing up for EarthDay, 2010 - Looking to showcase our stormwater technologies

April 22, 2010 marks the 40th anniversary for EarthDay.  We want to do something extra special to celebrate this milestone anniversary and are looking to be part of a festival or meeting where we can educate people about the importance of improving storm water runoff, protecting our rivers, lakes and streams and showcase the latest technologies in stormwater.  Half of what we can do is educational, and for the civil engineers in the crowd, they might see something they really like.  If you are in the NY / CT area and holding an Earthday event,  we might be the right team to participate in your event!  Please contact us if you think we would be a good fit!  Click here for our website so you can see what kind of work we do.  Our phone and contact info is on the top right of our homepage.   We would love to hear from you!

Here is the link to the CT DEP list of Earthday goings-on
Here is a link to the EPA list of EarthDay goings-on and tips to help the earth


We hope to see you at EarthDay!

Cigarette Butt Litter

After reading the Keep America Beautiful report on litter and thinking more about the toll it takes on our economy and our communities, I have been more focused and more observant about litter. We followed-up on Friday with a meeting with the Keep America Beautiful folks and spoke further about their programs and one of the issues that was specifically mentioned was cigarette butt litter. While I have seen more than my share of cigarette butts out in the field, I was unaware that 1 in 5 pieces of litter is actually a cigarette butt.

After our meeting, I did a little more research and looking around and found an LA Times article "Fuming Over Cigarette Butt Litter" (written by David Lazarus, November 30, 2008) citing that the City of Los Angeles picks up 600,000 cigarette butts a month and more than 7 million butts per year.

Virginia Beach exceeded its budget to clean storm drains by $3,000,000.00 and a significant portion of this amount was due to cigarette butts.

Once in the environment, it is important to remember that cigarette butts don't disappear. 95% of all butts are made from cellulose acetate that don't break down. Butts easily travel through storm drains and end up in local rivers, lakes and streams. Ultimately, they can be mistaken as food and pose a threat to marine and wildlife.

Cigarette butts are a significant source of pollution. While education and access to proper ashtrays/disposal is key, cigarette butt littering is rampant. While we have never been approached specifically to target cigarette butts, this is one of the types of trash that we can prevent from entering the stormwater systems.

For more information about cigarette litter, click here
For a look at how we can help you improve your storm water quality, click here

Our Planet, Our Stuff, Our Choice - EPA Video Competition

The EPA is sponsoring the "Our Planet, Our Stuff, Our Choice" video competition

Videos must be 30 or 60 seconds long and focus on these themes:

• Reducing/reusing
• Recycling
• Composting
• Consumption and environmental footprint

Videos due February 16, 2010

Hey, you can even win some CASH! How cool is that?

Click here for full details

GOOD LUCK!

Trash Control - tales from the stormwater dark side

As mentioned, in yesterday's blog entry, trash and litter effect everyone and as reported in the Keep America Beautiful report, the direct costs to the US economy is a staggering USD 11.5 Billion per annum. I am still trying to wrap my head around that one - I mean, YIKES and WOW!!!! (and NOT in a good way).

In addition to educational programs, adding more trash receptacles in more convenient places and aiming to change social behaviors, another way to improve stormwater runoff is by helping contain fugitive trash and litter.

This picture shows the collection area of our TerreKleen hydrodynamic separator and about 12 months of trash collected and contained from the parking lot of a big box store. The maintenance team can easily access the collection area by removing the grates or manhole covers on top. Trash is collected by vac truck and disposed of in accordance with state and local guidelines.

Trash control - an $11.5 billion dollar problem and a major contaminant for stormwater

Stormwater contaminants are, for the most part, usually the same. The issues that we typically see in our business center on: heavy metals, hydrocarbons, phosphorous, and sediment loading. Another MAJOR issue our clients have is TRASH CONTROL.

It might not be an issue that you have thought about, but I spent some time this afternoon looking to see if anyone had calculated the amount of trash and debris that finds its way into Long Island Sound. While I didn't find information specifically targeted for Long Island Sound, I did find a nation-wide study funded by the non-profit organization, Keep America Beautiful, detailing the volume of trash/litter found in the US, the toll it takes on the American economy and behaviors that contribute to littering. The results of their survey were released on December 3, 2009.

Some shocking key findings from their report:

Litter conservatively costs our nation $11.5 billion per year. These are direct costs, including cleanup and prevention programs, and are carried largely by businesses and taxpayers. Not included in this figure are significant indirect costs:

• Decreased property values. 93% of homeowners, 55% of real estate agents and 90% of property appraisers surveyed stated that a littered neighborhood would decrease their assessment of a home’s value
• "Opportunity Costs” such as decreased commerce and tourism in blighted areas
• Health effects and related costs of littered environments

The study concludes that at least 51.2 billion pieces of litter are left on roadways in the U.S.; an average of 6,729 pieces of litter per mile.

Cigarette butts comprise 38% of all items littered on the highways, streets, parks and playgrounds (in urban, suburban and rural areas of America).

The Keep America Beautiful Report detailed littering behaviors, identified factors that encouraged littering and made suggestions on how to reduce litter. I think it is an important report and encourage you to read their findings in full. For executive summary and full report, click here.

More on trash control tomorrow.