Photo courtesy of Fairfax County
The Bandalong Litter Trap at Little Hunting Creek is one of several traps in the area protecting local waters.
The accumulation of trash in local area waterways has been a long-standing environmental issue.
This year, Fairfax County took a step forward in ensuring the overall quality and cleanliness of the Potomac Watershed by installing a Bandalong Litter Trap to collect litter at Little Hunting Creek, a tidal tributary located just north of Mount Vernon.
Following rain storms, floating trash like plastic water bottles wash down into storm drains and into Little Hunting Creek. The outdated drainage systems of the properties in that area drains directly into the creek, bringing pollution with it. Often, larger items find their way to the area, as well.
Senator Scott Surovell has been a long-time advocate for the removal of trash from Little Hunting Creek, an issue that has plagued the area for decades.
Since 2005, volunteers have picked up nearly 4,000 bags of trash, almost 300 tires and about 200 shopping carts. Surovell began working with the Friends of Little Hunting Creek in 2012, recruiting volunteers to help clean up sites along the creek. According to Surovell, during that year’s event volunteers fished 180 shopping carts out of the creek and several hundred tons of trash.
After observing the accumulation of trash along Little Hunting Creek, it became clear to Surovell that trash problems impacting the Potomac Watershed would need to be addressed upstream. He met with Fairfax County in 2015, but the County initially declined to take action and issues with the property owners regarding installation further complicated the process. Surovell’s request for a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the creek was denied. It wasn’t until 2017 that plans were made to install the Bandalong Litter Trap.
The Bandalong Litter Trap is a contraption made of aluminum and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) designed to float in waterways and catch litter before it flows downstream. The trap is safe and does not have any nets or fencing underneath that could cause harm to local wildlife. The Bandalong system has proved effective in collecting trash in waterways in Australia for more than 18 years. There are four Bandalong Litter Traps along the Anacostia River in the District and two more along that watershed in Maryland.
There are currently no plans to install additional traps in the Little Hunting Creek or other local waterways in Northern Virginia, but this has not kept Surovell and others from finding additional ways to solve the issue. Virginia’s General Assembly passed a bill backed by Surovell granting Fairfax and Arlington Counties the authority to hold retailers accountable for abandoned shopping carts. Localities have not yet enacted this ordinance but if they choose to do so, they can fine store owners up to $300 per cart.
Cameron Run, another tributary stream of the Potomac River located in the City of Alexandria, is facing similar issues. In Late April, the Advocates for Clean & Clear Waterways discovered an abundance of trash accumulation on a hill that leads down into the stream. The Recycling Center along Eisenhower Ave was pinpointed as a potential source of the pollution. A considerable amount of trash like styrofoam and tire rims were observed littering the area behind the center. Advocates for Clean & Clear Waterway have filed a complaint and have threatened a civil lawsuit against the City.
Although the success of the Bandalong Litter Trap at Little Hunting Creek has yet to be evaluated and quantified, the Bandalong could prove to be an effective solution to the trash pollution of Cameron Run and similarly affected waterways in the area.
