In what he hopes will be inspiration for other cities to help in cleaning Orange County’s waterways, Newport Beach Mayor Noah Blom unveiled an image of the new trash-collecting water wheel that should be up and running in the Upper Newport Bay by the end of next year.
The relatively low-tech, partially solar-powered wheel is expected to corral trash that flows from upstream communities along the San Diego Creek and Santa Ana Delhi Channel before it can reach the bay, the harbor and ultimately the ocean.
The project, which will be the West Coast’s first and nearly a decade in the making, was inspired by a similar type of technology used by the Mr. Trash Family – three water wheels operating in Baltimore Harbor – that have collected more than 2,000 tons of trash since being put to service in 2014. The wheels have become a sort of landmark in the Baltimore Harbor.
The wheel uses old and new technology, combining the power of water and sunlight to collect litter and debris.
City officials say as much as 80% of the trash and debris could be collected from the ecologically sensitive bay. Depending on the amount of rainfall, officials estimate that Upper Newport Bay gets between 100 to 500 tons of debris washed into it each year.
The collection system is costing $5.5 million and in July, the City Council awarded a $3.9 million construction contract to a Brea firm. Funding comes from local, state and federal agencies. The wheel system should be running by December 2024.
“We’ve seen our water get so much better,” Blom said, referring to other projects the city has undertaken to improve water quality around the bays and harbor. “Newport did its part now. I’d like it to set an example statewide. We’ll use who we are to be the first and hopefully inspire others.”
The official image of the wheel – mossy green with a blue Newport Beach sail on its side – was unveiled during a ceremonial groundbreaking Friday, Sept. 15, at the location where it…
Read the full article here
