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City Hopes Filters Cut Creek Debris
May 2, 2002
By JOSHUA MOLINA
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
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"Greg
Kent emerges from a manhole at the corner of Ortega
and Milpas streets, where he was installing a storm drain
filter."
Mike Eliason, Photographer
/NEWS/PRESS
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Greg Kent's fingers are grimy, and his white jumpsuit is
in tatters. He pops his head out of a manhole at Milpas and
Ortega streets and grabs a Coke for a quick sip.
Then he
crouches back down into the underground vault and continues
installing a storm drain filter.
It's the 23rd filter he's done in Santa Barbara this week and, this time, he
didn't even have to remove his sunglasses. "God was with me on this one," he said, looking
down proudly at his work. "I had a lot of space. One
vault was 24 inches deep. I was lying on my back." This week, Mr. Kent and his co-workers from Oceanside-based
Bio Clean Environmental Services are installing new storm
drain filters all over Santa Barbara. The city paid about
$50,000 for 40 filters.
The filters are just another part of the city's effort to
clean creeks and the ocean. Officials say they are trying
to place the filters in key areas where they know there is
significant debris.
"They capture dirt, debris, garbage and any material
that is on the street that gets swept into the storm drain,"
said Jill Zachary, the city's creeks program manager.
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Filters for storm drains, street sweeping, water testing,
educational outreach and creek restoration are just some
of the ways Santa Barbara is trying to clean the water.
Half the funding for the creeks program comes from Measure
B, which increased the bed tax to pay for cleanup programs. The
program is also funded by grants and money from the city's
general fund. Overall, the creeks budget is at nearly
$4.4
million. The new filters also contain hydrocarbon booms that
are designed to catch gasoline, diesel, antifreeze, and motor
oil before
they go into the ocean. Prior to installing the filter, Mr. Kent and his crew build
Fiberglass shelves that are mounted underneath the manhole
and the storm drain. The stainless-steel filter is then hooked
on top of the shelf and is designed to capture and filter
any runoff.
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" It can be dirty and tedious
work," Bio Clean's Greg Kent says
about installing new storm drain filters throughout Santa
Barbara. The city paid about $50,000 for 40 of the filters.
Mike Eliason- -Photographer
/NEWS/PRESS
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The hydrocarbon booms are fastened with ties, and they will
be replaced a couple times a year. The filter itself should
last about 10 to 15 years, officials said. The design and shape
of the filters will allow city crews to simply lift the lid
on the manhole and vacuum out any debris. "The installation
of these filters is part of our long-term plan to address storm
water and urban runoff in the city," Ms. Zachary said.
Mr. Kent has installed several hundred storm drain filters
all over the country over the years. It takes him between one
to two hours, depending on the configuration of the vault.
Santa Barbara's vaults are all different. "It can be dirty
and tedious work," he said.
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Bio Clean
Environmental Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 869
Oceanside, CA 92049
| Phone: (760) 433-7640 | Fax: (760) 433-3176 | |
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