New Installation of Watergoat at Gully Branch in Timrod Park to Aid in Collecting Litter
For Immediate Release – October 6, 2022
Media Contacts:
Michelle Bailey, Keep Florence Beautiful Chair, michelle@keepflorencebeautiful.org or 843-779-5332
Michael Hemingway, Utilities Director, mhemingway@cityofflorence.com or 843-665-3236
FLORENCE, SC –
On Wednesday, October 5, 2022, Timrod Park saw the installation of a new stormwater BMP (best management practice), known as the Watergoat. This project was made possible through a grant awarded to Keep Florence Beautiful from Palmetto Pride in collaboration with the City of Florence. The Watergoat is a floating device that consists of a series of buoys wrapped in netting, which is held down by a chain. This design allows water to flow through it while collecting floating litter that flows in its direction. Since the netting on the device is submerged only about a foot and a half, wildlife such as turtles and fish will still be able to swim underneath it. The positioning of the Watergoat device will trap floating litter and trash that ends up in Gully Branch at Timrod Park.
People present during the installation included Geraldine Cuypers, IDDE Compliance Inspector/ KFB Board Member; Jeff, Cris, and Grayson Mills (company owners and installers); and Joseph Berry from Palmetto Pride.
Michelle Bailey, KFB Chair said, “We are so appreciative of all the support the City of Florence has given our organization for this project and many others, and by agreeing to maintain the Watergoat. This allows our organization the ability to focus our attention on more projects and hopefully future installations of Watergoats.” The litter collected by the City of Florence employees will be weighed before it is properly disposed of at the landfill, allowing Keep Florence Beautiful to keep track of the waste that was prevented from entering our waterways.
Geraldine Cuypers, Compliance Inspector with the City of Florence, and KFB Board Member said, “My hope and goal as a city employee, KFB board member, and a citizen of our community, is that the public will clearly see the immense amount of litter that ends up in our waterways. Trash negatively impacts our environment and I hope people care enough to take action. What many people do not realize is that much of the litter that is thrown out of vehicles ends up washing into the storm drains, and then into our waterways.”
For additional information about Keep Florence Beautiful, contact Michelle Bailey at michelle@keepflorencebeautiful.org or visit www.keepflorencebeautiful.org. To learn more about Keep America Beautiful go to http://www.kab.org
About Keep Florence Beautiful – “KFB” is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Florence, South Carolina. Our mission is to engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving Florence through the visual aspects of our community. We support Litter Prevention, Waste Reduction, Recycling, Beautification, and Community Greening. We identify the causes of litter and reduce it by organizing cleanups and programs that beautify and naturally clean our environment, these programs include community education for responsible consumerism and sustainability; source reduction, reuse, and recycling; community gardens; restoration of vacant lots and waterway beautification.
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