Sen. Joe Lieberman sponsors AbTech's breakthrough technology in effort to curb water pollution -- NORWALK, CT, Dec. 21, 2005 -- AbTech Industries, a provider of customized clean water solutions, announced that the Long Island Soundkeeper Filter Project is 80% complete with the installation of over 200 of their Smart Sponge® Plus Ultra Urban® Filters (UUF) in Norwalk, Connecticut storm drains. The Soundkeeper Filter Project, a clean water initiative funded by a federal EPA grant secured by U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), employs AbTech Industries' pioneering technology to combat health-threatening bacteria and pollution in stormwater before it enters the Long Island Sound.
In late October 2005, the Long Island Soundkeeper and the city of Norwalk officially launched a new clean water effort, dubbed The Filter Project which focuses on reducing polluted street runoff in stormwater on its way to the Long Island Sound. The Filter project uses AbTech Industries' UUF's and, an innovative antimicrobial filtration material called Smart Sponge Plus, the only nontoxic, fully recyclable filtration system of its kind that encapsulates and successfully removes harmful petroleum substances like gasoline, oil & grease, and destroys bacteria such as E. coli and enterococcus before they enter local waterways.
"We are very excited about the early success of The Filter Project and the rate at which the system has been implemented. With the continued support of Senator Lieberman, Soundkeeper and the city of Norwalk, we expect unprecedented results when the full installation is completed in mid-December 2005," said Glenn Rink, president and CEO of AbTech Industries.
The Filter Project is a natural outgrowth of the Long Island Soundkeeper's mission of protecting the Sound's ecosystem and Norwalk's commitment to clean up local waterways. The part of the city selected for the project includes two drainage areas in Norwalk that have a similar land use -- residential, industrial, marinas, and nurseries. The first is a basin with 275 drains, equipped with Smart Sponge Plus antimicrobial UUF, which empty through one pipe into Norwalk Harbor on the way to the Long Island Sound. The second, the 'control' basin, does not have UUF's and also flows through one pipe into the harbor.
After the installation is complete, the City of Norwalk will evaluate the project's success according to the percent reduction of several contaminants including hydrocarbons and bacteria entering Long Island Sound from the targeted drainage area. Longo & Longo, a Connecticut-based company and an AbTech Industries distributor, will continue to work with the city to service, maintain, and help monitor the two drainage areas and the installed UUF's.
"The Long Island Sound is home to roughly 10 percent of the American population and is an important national environmental asset that must be preserved," Sen. Lieberman said. "The filtration technology such as that provided in Norwalk by AbTech Industries, coupled with state and federal support, can help Connecticut become a national model for clean water initiatives."
The Filter Project is a three-year campaign that is expected to be sustained long after the grant period has ended. The goal is to maintain long-term change in urban watershed areas through consistent installation and maintenance of the catch basin filters equipped with AbTech's antimicrobial technology. Total project cost is just over $500,000, most of which resulted from legislation sponsored by U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman and provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
AbTech Industries Inc. (www.abtechindustries.com), based in Scottsdale, Ariz., provides communities and industries with customized solutions to control or remove petroleum products such as gasoline, oil, & grease, sediment, trash and debris, while destroying bacteria that are threatening the quality of our nation's waterways.
AbTech's products incorporate a polymer-based filtration material, the Smart Sponge®, a technology that effectively removes pollutants from flowing or pooled water, encapsulating them so that they cannot be released back into the environment even under high pressure. In addition, AbTech is the first company to combine an antimicrobial agent in its filtration material and provide the first solution that effectively destroys bacteria at the street level.
The AbTech product line is uniquely designed to capture stormwater pollutants, and the Smart Sponge filter media can be adapted for use to suit customers' particular needs. The Environmental Protection Agency has included AbTech's Ultra-Urban® Filter series with Smart Sponge technology as a Best Management Practice (BMP) under the federal environmental guidelines that apply to local and state governments.
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