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ANACOSTIA WATERSHED TRASH REDUCTION PLAN. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT By ANACOSTIA WATERSHED SOCIETY James R. & Cynthia A. Collier. QUARTERLY MONITORING. RIVER SEGMENTS = 9 = 5,143 ft = 1,507 items of trash STREAM SEGMENTS = 38 = 35,653 ft = 28,883 items of trash
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ANACOSTIA WATERSHED TRASH REDUCTION PLAN DISTRICTOF COLUMBIA DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT By ANACOSTIA WATERSHED SOCIETY James R. & Cynthia A. Collier
QUARTERLY MONITORING • RIVER SEGMENTS = 9 = 5,143 ft = 1,507 items of trash • STREAM SEGMENTS = 38 = 35,653 ft = 28,883 items of trash • LAND USE SEGMENTS = 25 areas = 916 items of trash • WINDSHIELD SURVEY = 1,578 Blocks = 47,367 items of trash (one side only) • Quarterly about 78,673 pieces of trash were counted.
During the last survey there were 1.2 bags per foot of stream channel
CONCLUSIONS • Trash is an interstate problem • Plastic bags, bottles & cans and Styrofoam are 70-80% of the problem. Legislative solutions are available. • Paper products degrade QUICKLY. • Buffer strips & trash cans are effective. • Most trash is eating related
Legislative Solution • A total legislative package that deals with plastic bags, EPF and drink bottles and cans has the ability to remove collectively 21%, 11%, and 25% of the items from the River. This is 57 % of the total Anacostia River trash. • In the tributaries, the removal would be 47 %, 5 %, and 14% for a total removal of 66%.
BMP SELECTION CRITERIA • The tributaries to the main Anacostia River should be as clean as the river. • The strategy should build upon or compliment the Anacostia TMDL Implementation Plan for the twenty specified pollutants. • To be cost effective, storm water should not be treated twice to remove trash. There are a number of the tributaries which drain into very large storm sewers and are comingled with other storm water flows before reaching the Anacostia River. • To the extent reasonable, the actions should be those that the government has demonstrated that it knows how to perform well. • The citizens should be satisfied with the results. • The costs should be something that can be afforded.
TYPES OF TRASH • Trash can be sorted into four components for BMP evaluation purposes. • floatables such as plastic drink bottles, foam cups and clamshells and woody debris which are about 15 percent • high density sinking objects such as glass bottles, and aluminum beverage cans which are about 15 percent. • Minor fraction of degradable objects such as paper bags and newspapers. • 70 percent of the trash that is observed in the streams is neutrally buoyant objects such as plastic bags and snack wrappers which will float under quiescent conditions while clean, but are more likely to be entrained by velocity currents.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY Fourteen Individual tributary and MS4 basin trash reduction strategies. Cheapest and most efficient concept was screening the inlets and high efficiency street sweeping WEEKLY. Most environmentally friendly was water quality wetland creation for trash and TMDL pollutants removal. Street sweeping not only helps the streams but also provides clean neighborhoods.
Trash Free • Plan provides legislative solution which will reduce rate increase. • Plan has capital costs that are reasonable and provide not only clean streams but clean communities. • Plan meets all TMDL pollutant removal requirements of MS4 Permit. • Plan achieves trash free Anacostia by 2013. • Provides “Reasonable Assurances” for the Anacostia trash TMDL due Spring 2010.
Plastic Bag Bill • Place a 5-cent fee, paid by consumer, on all disposable recyclable plastic and paper carryout bags from Retail Food Establishment license holders (including grocery stores, food vendors, convenience stores, drug stores, restaurants) and Class A & B liquor licensees. • Ban non-recyclable plastic carryout bags; require that if a plastic carryout bag is offered, that it must be recyclable and clearly labeled as such. • The retail establishment will get 1 cent of fee returned tax exempt to the retailer. • Retailers who choose to offer a carryout bag credit program will retain an additional cent, for a total of 2 cents per bag. • The remaining fee per bag will be deposited into a new Anacostia River Cleanup & Protection Fund.