NA24NOSX999C0003-T1-01 urban stormwater is a significant source of marine debris

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded a $1,345,961 Cooperative Agreement to the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) through the Marine Debris Program (CFDA 11.999) to develop and deploy a transferable guide for strategic site selection, installation, monitoring, and maintenance of Littatrap trash capture technology in catch basins in the Rochester, NY urban area. The project aims to stem the input of stormwater debris into coastal systems, especially NOAA trust resources in the Great Lakes. Over the three-year project, RIT will employ a phased approach to test and refine a geospatial tool to predict debris hotspots, install and monitor 50 Littatraps, and develop a guide for urban stormwater debris interception. The project also includes a comprehensive community engagement program through partnerships with local organizations. Additionally, RIT will sub-award $56,000 to Cornell University to develop and deliver educational programming and a best practices manual for stormwater cleanup and debris interception in urban areas.

Stormwater carries land-based anthropogenic debris (ad) to the waterways [13] we rely on for drinking water, food, irrigation, and recreation [1,46]. Ad enters the environment from myriad sources, including littering, illegal dumping, inadvertent release from waste handling systems, and breakdown of materials during the use-phase in the environment (e.g., tires, agricultural plastics). The rochester, NY region includes two of the largest tributaries entering the south shore of lake ontario and is estimated to be a source for a large percentage of the approximately 1,250 metric tons of plastic that enters the lake annually. Those tributaries, irondequoit creek/BAY and the genesee river, along with the nearshore area of lake ontario, represent significant NOAA trust resources. The overarching goal of this project is to stem the input of stormwater debris into coastal systems, especially the NOAA trust resources of the aquatic habitats of the great lakes. The primary objective to reach this goal is to develop and deploy a transferable guide for strategic site selection, installation, monitoring, and maintenance using the littatrap trash capture technology in catch basins (CBS) in urban areas. Because debris input is highly heterogeneous in distribution and composition, and interception is costly and time-consuming, IT is critical to use a targeted, data-informed approach to achieve the greatest capture per unit effort. We propose to employ, test, and refine our current geospatial tool to predict hot spots of debris in the urban environment in a three-phase approach through a large- scale deployment of 50 littatraps to intercept debris from CBS in debris hot spots. The guide will be developed, piloted, and then deployed at scale in the urban center of rochester, NY. We are partnering with monroe county, who manages and maintains the sewer system, and enviropod, the company that produces the littatrap. The project consists of three phases, with each phase being a year of the three-year project. Phase 1: as part of a current research grant funded though the NOAA marine debris program, we are developing a geospatial CB debris input model. In phase 1 of this proposed project, 18 CBS in predicted high and low debris loading areas will be fitted with littatraps and monitored for one year. The collected data will be used to refine the predictive model for phase 2. Local outreach will take place. Phase 2: based on the new model predictions, 32 additional CBS will be added and the 9 lowest debris traps from phase 1 will be moved to areas with higher debris input. The devices will be monitored for a year. Local outreach will take place. Phase 3: phase 3 will consist of monitoring, model refinement, guide development, and evaluation of outreach success in debris reduction. We will also CO-host a virtual workshop on interception best practices across systems, including input from collaborators at university of florida/SG, who are also deploying littatraps with NOAA MDP funding. During all three phases of the project, we will carry out a comprehensive community engagement program through partnerships with the city of rochester, the seneca park ZOO society (SPZS), the rochester museum and science center (RMSC), educational consultants, and new york sea grant (NYSG). The outreach activities all build on ongoing programs we have developed using the littatraps. Our experience with littatraps has demonstrated that, in addition to capturing debris, they are an excellent outreach tool. The debris captured is often recognizable, and the focus on the storm sewer provokes an interest in where does the water go? After IT enters the stormwater system. Indeed, nearly of rochester residents dont know the answer to that question (H2OHERO community survey, 2021) nor are aware of their connection to lake ontario. With national sea grant office funding, we are installing an add