After a break to revamp the competition (that was unexpectedly extended by COVID-19), The Water Connection is currently working to relaunch the Clean River Design Challenge in 2021! For the next competition, college teams will be tasked with reducing E. coli and/or excess nutrients in local waterways and will need to create a business plan for their proposed solution.
Check back for more details after the first of the year!
Check back for more details after the first of the year!
|
The Water Connection is serving as a lead voice for The Greenway Foundation (TGF) on the issue of urban waterway trash. Despite the significant evolution in the health of the South Platte River, the reality of trash and other forms of pollution continue to be an ongoing challenge to the River. In response to this reality, TGF is engaging higher education students in developing designs for urban waterway trash removal devices.
The third iteration of this competition will host student teams from Metropolitan State University of Denver, Colorado School of Mines, and University of Denver. Other project partners include the Flood Control District, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, and representatives of Denver’s professional engineering sector. |
|
For the 2018-2019 competition, student teams focused on the section of the South Platte River, just upstream of the confluence with the Cherry Creek. Five teams spent the first semester developing a preliminary design, which was presented to a panel of judges in early December and the top three designs were selected.
Round 1: Design Phase
First Place: Team Trash Trouts from Colorado School of Mines
Second Place: River Guardians from Colorado School of Mines
Third Place: Team Black-Crowned Night Herons from Metropolitan State University of Denver
First Place: Team Trash Trouts from Colorado School of Mines
Second Place: River Guardians from Colorado School of Mines
Third Place: Team Black-Crowned Night Herons from Metropolitan State University of Denver
Four teams continued onto Round 2, to build a scaled model of their design and test it in a specialized flume at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The top three designs were selected based on a variety of criteria: design, impact on the river corridor, amount of trash collected, cost, etc.
Round 2: Design Phase
|
|
|
It was another great year of innovation-- Thank you to everyone who participated in this competition!
Click here to watch the story on the competition from Channel 4 CBS Denver.
Click here to watch the story on the competition from Channel 4 CBS Denver.
|
If you want to view previous Clean River Design Challenge Winners, click here
|
|
The Water Connection/The Greenway Foundation is looking for sponsors for the Clean River Design Challenge.
Please contact The Water Connection Director Devon Buckels at devon@thewaterconnection.org. Are you a student, professor, or school and want more information on the 2019-20 Clean River Design Challenge? Please contact Events & Volunteer Director Lauren Berent at lauren@greenwayfoundation.org |
2018-2019 Clean river design Challenge Sponsors
|
|
|
|
|
|
|