Dougherty Commission OKs agreements for trash traps, Radium Springs Grant effort

ALBANY – The Flint Riverkeeper and partners are looking to trap the trash before it makes its way into the Flint River and adds to the pollution that can harm wildlife and spoil the appearance of the waterway.

The Dougherty County Commission approved on Monday a contract with the Flint Riverkeeper and Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful for the program that will place two trash traps in county waterways. Under the agreement, the county will have no financial obligations.

The initial placement of the traps will be located off Hillsman Avenue in the Radium Springs area and on the Marine Canal. 

The devices use booms to guide trash into a collection basket where it can be captured and emptied after a rainstorm. The removed trash is sorted, bagged, and all recyclables are separated for disposal and collection.

“This project is entirely funded by Georgia Rivers and a donor,” Henry Jackson, the Riverkeeper’s director of outreach and development, said. 

A $99,000 grant will pay for the purchase, installation and first year of operating costs for the two traps. After the first year, maintenance is expected to cost about $15,000 to $20,000 annuallyt.

The traps will float on the water and catch contaminants, including single-use food and drink containers and plastics that make up a large proportion of trash tossed in waterways, Jackson said. Because they float above the water, the traps do not impede the movement of water life in the streams.

Each trap can hold several hundred pounds of debris.

“The trick is to check them every time it rains one-half inch or more,” Jackson said. “We want to make sure they’re cleaned out within 48 hours of a rain event.

“We have been promised additional assistance in future years. If these are successful, we will be looking at adding locations.”

Under the agreement, the Riverkeeper will maintain and operate the trash traps and report when trash and recyclables are ready for pickup, as well as other responsibilities.

KADB will be responsible for providing a designated contact for the Riverkeeper to notify when trash and recyclables are bagged and ready for pickup and disposal, within 24 hours of notification.

Under the agreement, the city and county will provide right of entry and access to project sites for maintenance and installation and also provide 96 hours of advance notice before mowing crews are scheduled to work around the traps to allow for securing traps to prevent damage.

In other action involving water-related matters, the commission approved the expenditure of $146,000 for architectural and engineering consulting services needed to prepare a Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program grant proposal for the county’s Radium Springs Gardens area.

Commissioners also approved spending $4,500 for grant-writing services for the filing of the Radium Springs grant with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.