Page 24 - May-June2022 Vol 40 No 1

TENNESSEE, ALABAMA, NORTH CAROLINA By Kathleen Gibi
World’s Largest Network of Electric

Litter Skimmers in Tennessee River

The Tennessee River and some of its • Harrison Bay State Park, Soddy Daisy to better understand the prevalence of
tributaries are about to become home • Pickwick Landing State Park, Hardin microplastics in Southeastern rivers
to the largest network of electric litter County today, the types and potential sources
skimmer devices on any river system in • Paris Landing State Park, Paris of these plastics, and eventually learn
the world. • Lake Ocoee Inn & Marina, Benton how microplastics affect aquatic animals’
Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful • Tellico Marina, Vonore health.
(KTNRB) is working with partners across • Clifton RV & Marina, Clifton “We’re hopeful that we can turn this
the seven-state Tennessee River watershed • Fontana Village Resort & Marina, tide of freshwater plastic around by
to install 18 Seabin devices, thanks to two Fontana, N.C. collaborating with partners like TDOT,
large grants from the Tennessee Dept. • Joe Wheeler State Park, Rogersville, Ala. Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful, and
of Transportation (TDOT) and Keep • Florence Harbor Marina, Florence, Ala. others to urge the public to reduce single-
America Beautiful (KAB). KTNRB made the Seabin use plastics, recycle the rest and join in
Australia Produces the Seabins announcement this spring on World cleanup efforts that help improve our
Water Day alongside representatives from
water quality,” George said.
The Seabin device, an Australian
product, works 24/7 to collect marine TDOT, KAB, the City of Chattanooga, “Nobody Trashes Tennessee”
and the Tennessee Aquarium.
debris from the surface of the water, much Campaign Participates
like a pool skimmer that’s electrically Tennessee Aquarium Integrates Seabins Of the 18 Seabin devices along the
operated. Each of the 18 devices can into Educational Programs Tennessee River watershed, TDOT’s
remove up to 3,000 lbs. of marine debris The Aquarium is a special partner in ‘Nobody Trashes Tennessee’ litter
a year, with a projected total cleanup of KTNRB’s Seabin project, managing one of campaign provided funding to KTNRB
54,000 lbs. than can be yearly removed the 18 Seabins on the City of Chattanooga’s for 10 devices to be purchased. “Nobody
from the Tennessee River. Additionally, Riverwalk in front of their facility. As an Trashes Tennessee” also has been funding
the devices also will filter out gasoline, educational institution with a freshwater KTNRB’s volunteer litter cleanups, Adopt
oils, and microplastics from the water. science center, the Aquarium will integrate a River Mile program, and Cigarette Litter
“Until now, all of our work has only Seabins into educational programming, Prevention Program.
been able to prevent microplastics in examining any litter trends discovered “TDOT’s partnership with Keep the
our waterways, so we are thrilled to be through the Seabin network collections. Tennessee River Beautiful demonstrates
making an effort to actually mitigate “Healthy communities depend upon the connectedness of roadside litter to
microplastics out of the water,” said healthy rivers, lakes, and streams,” said that which ends up in our waterways.”
Kathleen Gibi, Executive Director for Dr. Anna George, the Aquarium’s VP of said Joseph Galbato, III, TDOT’s Interim
KTNRB. “We’re grateful to TDOT and Conservation Science and Education. Commissioner. “Assisting with this new
Keep America Beautiful for these—as I “The Seabins network will give us new network of litter-removing devices is just
see it—revolutionary grants, and to our opportunities to engage students and another way that TDOT is helping to
partners who will maintain the Seabins, the public to show them how litter make our state cleaner and greener.”
making this trailblazing project possible.” continuously flows from the land and into The other eight Seabin devices have
Marinas in Tennessee, Alabama and our waterways.” been funded through grants from Keep
North Carolina Participate After the 2017 “TenneSwim” study America Beautiful, who first introduced
The Seabins are currently installed and by Dr. Andreas Fath of Furtwangen KTNRB to the Seabin device. Leading up
maintained primarily by marina staff in University showed that the water near the into 2020, Seabin devices had been used
Tennessee, Alabama, and North Carolina. surface of the Tennessee River contains in Australia, Europe, and Asia for years.
KTNRB is still looking to find a home microplastic concentrations 80 times A Seabin distributing company known as
for six remaining Seabins. As part of the higher than those found in Germany’s The SEArial Cleaners based out of France
grant, each Seabin overseer will document Rhine River, the Tennessee Aquarium set approached Keep America Beautiful about
the amount and types of litter collected so a course to better understand and combat introducing Seabins to the United States
that the data can be analyzed. Seabins are the problem. Dr. Fath’s study brought Three Different Bodies of Water Selected
either installed or are about to be installed public attention to this growing threat, The national nonprofit then selected
at the following sites: but left scientists asking why our river three KAB affiliates to test a Seabin pilot
• Louisville Landing Marina, Louisville contains so much plastic. project on different bodies of water:
• Volunteer Landing Marina, Knoxville Collaboration Among Southeastern Rivers one along an inland lake (Keep Ohio
• Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga Collaborative efforts are underway Beautiful), one oceanfront site (Keep New

24 TPW May/June 2022