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In the past 10 months, the Nautilus has been passively collecting trash along the north side of the Cherry Creek between Blake Street and Market Street. The Water Connection (TWC) is excited to share some trash stats for what has been collected!
What is listed above (and more!) was collected in 32 site visits spaced over10 months! Nautilus was serviced regularly by Mile High Flood District and ArborForce-- thank you for being such integral partners during this pilot process and for collecting valuable information regarding the device’s function and what types of debris were caught! Other partners for this pilot include ClayDean Electric, who built this version of Nautilus, as well as Denver Parks and Recreation and Naranjo Civil Constructors.
Plans for Nautilus 2 are being explored, so check back in early 2021 for more information! “Like many urban areas, keeping trash out of our waterways in Denver has been a constant challenge” said Devon Buckels, Director of The Water Connection. “Every year, local non-governmental organizations and the Mile High Flood District spend $1.5 million removing trash from the South Platte River by hand, one piece at a time. There has to be a better solution. This is 2020!” CONTACT INFORMATION:
Devon Buckels, Director of The Water Connection 720-837-3289 devon@thewaterconnection.org |
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The concept for the Nautilus design was created by two students at Metropolitan State University of Denver, Mara Maxwell and TJ DiTallo, as part of TWC’s Clean River Design Challenge (CRDC) held during the 2015-2016 academic year. CRDC is a yearlong competition that challenges teams of undergraduate students to design and build a scale model of a device to be placed in a waterway in Metro Denver to remove trash and debris. Along with being efficient and effective, these devices also have to meet numerous other criteria: they must not negatively impact the flood plain, they must be safe for recreational users and wildlife, and they must have an educational and/or art aspect to the design to engage passersby in the community.
The Water Connection is the policy and water resources arm of The Greenway Foundation. Since 1974, The Greenway Foundation has lead the effort to reclaim the South Platte River and its numerous tributaries from a virtual cesspool to a place of environmental and recreational pride.
Trash in our waterways is not only an eyesore, but it can also harm wildlife and degrade water quality. TWC is also pursuing other trash capture approaches, such as storm drain filtration devices, for collecting trash before it enters our rivers and streams. The 15 storm drain filters in Metro Denver collected 3,960 pounds of pollutants in less than two years.
The Water Connection is the policy and water resources arm of The Greenway Foundation. Since 1974, The Greenway Foundation has lead the effort to reclaim the South Platte River and its numerous tributaries from a virtual cesspool to a place of environmental and recreational pride.
Trash in our waterways is not only an eyesore, but it can also harm wildlife and degrade water quality. TWC is also pursuing other trash capture approaches, such as storm drain filtration devices, for collecting trash before it enters our rivers and streams. The 15 storm drain filters in Metro Denver collected 3,960 pounds of pollutants in less than two years.