From an article in the 5/13/08 Baltimore Sun (Mike's hometown!). The picture accompanying the article screams "Dirty Job!"
Path to a cleaner harbor
By Tom Pelton | Sun reporter
Normally, rain flushes garbage down Baltimore's storm drains to float in stomach-churning blobs around the Inner Harbor's tourist attractions.
But yesterday looked different. After one of the heaviest downpours of the year, not a single plastic foam cup or dead rat bobbed around the National Aquarium. Instead, a mound of litter had been caught by a garbage-grabbing gizmo installed in February where the biggest outfall dumps into the harbor.
The invention worked pretty well during its first major test - with some human intervention by its creator, who wielded a rake to break apart knots of sticks. It's called the Water Wheel Powered Trash Interceptor, and it snags trash with a floating boom across the base of the Jones Falls. The boom funnels bottles and other debris up a conveyor belt and into a mammoth trash can.
The conveyor belt is driven by the force of the current. Solar panels and a windmill provide auxiliary power. Workers in a boat empty the can about twice a week.
Read the rest here:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/b...ay13,0,4968418.story
