From plastic water and soda bottles, to takeout containers and coffee cups, and even a rare basketball, the debris and litter which finds its way to Buffalo Bayou is an ongoing and nearly overwhelming problem.
Houston’s stormwater drainage system runs in such a way that following any rain event, litter from the streets is swept up in currents of water which travel into curb catch basins. From there, the debris journeys through an underground system, ultimately finding its way to the bayous, where it floats along as unsightly trash. If not managed properly, the rafts of litter, which can grow to be quite large, carry on to Galveston Bay and beyond.
Recognizing the negative environmental impact to water quality and wildlife habitats, as well as the detrimental affect visible trash has on the recreational appeal of Buffalo Bayou Park, Buffalo Bayou Partnership set into motion a series of initiatives to reclaim the bayou with the establishment of its Clean & Green Program.
Since 2002, dedicated crews have worked five days a week to capture floating debris from the water and sweep up trash which has found its way to the land. The Clean & Green Program utilizes several strategies to wrangle the litter – containment booms, nets, long-handled rakes, and lots of hard work.
One of Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s most interesting innovations to combat and collect floating debris on the water is it’s custom-built Bio-Vac. Part boat, part industrial strength vacuum, the Bio-Vac allows crews to navigate alongside areas of debris build-up and effectively suction trash out of the water and into a storage space on the boat for proper disposal.
Members of the Kinder Foundation family recently were given a first-hand look at Bio-Vac in action.
“It is amazing to see the incredible effect the Bio-Vac has on the Houston Bayou System, due to its ability to remove such an immense amount of debris and trash from both the Buffalo Bayou and the White Oak Bayou. The progress being made within Houston regarding the removal of trash from our bayous, which are very central to the wellbeing of the Houston Community, is evident in the success shown by the Bio-vac,” said a member of the Kinder Foundation team.
It is a never-ending effort, but the results are astounding. In 2019 alone, 138 dump truck loads of trash were removed from the bayou and neighboring waterways. It is difficult to imagine what the bayou would look like without the Clean & Green program – and we are thankful that we don’t have to.
To learn more about Kinder Foundation’s support of Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s mission, please click here.
Kutoka chupa za plastiki za maji na soda, hadi chupa za kuchukua na vikombe vya kahawa, na hata mpira wa kikapu wa nadra, mabaki na taka ambayo hupata njia yake kwa Buffalo Bayou ni shida inayoendelea na karibu kubwa. Mfumo wa maji ya mvua ya Houston unaendesha kwa njia ambayo baada ya tukio lolote la mvua, taka kutoka mitaani hupigwa na mkondo wa maji ambayo husafiri hadi kwenye mabwawa ya kukamata. Kutoka hapo, mabaki ya maji hutembea kupitia mfumo wa chini ya ardhi, na hatimaye hupata njia ya kuingia kwenye maji, ambako yanaelea kama takwimu zisizoonekana. Ikiwa hazitumiwi vizuri, matope hayo, ambayo yanaweza kuwa makubwa sana, huendelea hadi Ghuba ya Galveston na mbali zaidi. Kwa kutambua athari mbaya ya mazingira kwa ubora wa maji na makazi ya wanyama wa porini, na vile vile athari mbaya ya taka inayoonekana kwenye rufaa ya burudani ya Buffalo Bayou Park, Ushirikiano wa Buffalo Bayou ulianzisha safu ya mipango ya kurudisha bayou na kuanzisha Programu yake safi na ya Kijani. Tangu mwaka 2002, wafanyakazi wa shirika hilo wamefanya kazi siku tano kwa wiki ili kuondoa mabaki ya maji na kuondoa taka ambazo zimepita kwenye ardhi. Programu ya Clean & Green hutumia mikakati kadhaa ya kupambana na uchafu - booms za kuzuia, wavu, rakes za kushughulikia kwa muda mrefu, na kazi nyingi ngumu. Moja ya Buffalo Bayou Ushirikiano wa ubunifu wa kuvutia zaidi kupambana na kukusanya mabaki ya kuelea juu ya maji ni ni desturi-kujengwa Bio-Vac. Kwa sehemu, ni sehemu ya nguvu ya viwanda, Bio-Vac inaruhusu wafanyakazi kusafiri kando ya maeneo ya uharibifu wa mabaki na kwa ufanisi suction taka nje ya maji na katika nafasi ya kuhifadhi kwenye mashua kwa ajili ya kuondoa sahihi. Kwa mujibu wa shirika la Kinder Foundation, watu wa nchi hiyo wamekuwa wakitumia BioVac kwa muda mrefu. Ni ajabu kuona athari ya ajabu ya Bio-Vac ina juu ya Houston Bayou System, kutokana na uwezo wake wa kuondoa kiasi kikubwa cha mabaki na taka kutoka wote Buffalo Bayou na White Oak Bayou. Maendeleo yanayopatikana ndani ya Houston kuhusu kuondolewa kwa taka kutoka kwa bayous zetu, ambazo ni muhimu sana kwa ustawi wa Jumuiya ya Houston, ni dhahiri katika mafanikio yaliyoonyeshwa na Bio-vac, alisema mwanachama wa timu ya Kinder Foundation. Ni jitihada isiyo na mwisho, lakini matokeo ni yenye kushangaza. Katika mwaka wa 2019 pekee, magari 138 ya kutupa taka yaliondolewa kwenye Bonde la Mto wa Mto na njia za maji jirani. Ni vigumu kufikiria jinsi bayou ingekuwa kama bila Clean & Green mpango <unk> na sisi ni shukrani kwamba hatuna <unk>. Ili kujifunza zaidi kuhusu msaada wa Kinder Foundation wa Buffalo Bayou Partnership, tafadhali bonyeza hapa.