MUCH MORE AFTER THIS.?
THERE’S A NEW WAY TO STOP LITTER
FROM GETTING SWEPT AWAY INTO OUR
WATERWAYS.
>> ONE CITY GOT THEM INSTALLED
AND HAS NOW GONE HIGH TECH TO
STOP POLLUTION.
HERE’S LOUIE AGUIRRE WITH
TONIGHT’S DON’T TRASH OUR
TREASURE.
>> Reporter: IT’S A BIG DAY IN
THE CITY OF HALLANDALE BEACH.
>> IT’S BEEN TAKING A WHILE TO
GET THIS PROJECT ACTUALLY GOING
BUT TO SEE IT’S GOING RIGHT NOW,
I’M EXTREMELY EXCITED.
>> Reporter: AFTER MONTHS OF
PLANNING THE FIRST OF THESE HIGH
TECH SCREENS...
ARE FINALLY BEING INSTALLED AT
THE OPEN CURB INLETS ALONG THE
800 BLOCK OF PARKVIEW DRIVE.
>> WE HAVE SO MUCH DEBRIS GOING
INTO THE COASTAL AND WATERWAYS,
SO WE’RE TRYING TO PROTECT THAT.
>> Reporter: AND THAT’S EXACTLY
WHY THESE SCREENS WERE DESIGNED
TO TRAP ALL THE STREET LITTER
BEFORE THE STORM WATER SYSTEM
WHERE IT EVENTUALLY FLUSHES OUT
TO WATERWAYS AND THE
INTERCOASTAL.
IT IS A BIG WIN FOR THE
ENVIRONMENT.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Reporter: AMELIO LOPEZ IS THE
CEO AND COFOUNDER OF SOP
TECHNOLOGIES WHO DEVELOPED THE
THE FILTERS DID NOT ONLY REDUCE
POLLUTION IN THE STORM WET
SYSTEM BUT TO ALSO ALLOW STORM
WATER TO FLOW FREELY AND PREVENT
STREET FLOODING.
>> WE HAVE THE UPPER FLOW OF
WATER THROUGH THE SCREEN SO THE
WATER COMES DOWN AND UP.
THIS DESIGN HAS A MUCH GREATER
OPEN AREA FOR WATER FLOW.
>> Reporter: THEY’RE ALSO
DESIGNED TO STOP DEADLY ORGANICS
FROM GETTING THROUGH.
THESE LEAVES AND LAWN CLIPPINGS
MAY LOOK HARMLESS BUT THEY’RE
ACTUALLY TICKING TIME BOMBS.
>> YOU CAN SEE HERE WATER IS
TAKING THESE LEAVES INTO THE
STORM DRAIN SYSTEM.
EVENTUALLY THIS LEADS TO
BISCAYNE BAY AND AS YOU KNOW,
WHEN THIS DECOMPOSE, IT BECOME
AS NUTRIENT.
>> Reporter: FROST FOR RECESS
AND NITROGEN, DEADLY NUTRIENTS
THAT FEED ALGAE GROWTH IN OUR
PAY AND WATERWAYS AND KILL THE
SEA GRASS LEAVES, WHICH IS A
MAJORITY OF WHAT WE ACTUALLY
CAPTURE IN FRONT OF THE STORM
GRAINS.
>> Reporter: THE SCREENS ALREADY
HAVE A PERFECT TRACK RECORD.
THEY WERE INSTALLED IN KEY WEST
IN 2016.
40 WERE INSTALLED IN SOUTH MIAMI
IN 2018.
ADVENTURA INSTALLED THEM CITY
WIDE IN 2019.
SOON THEY’LL FINALLY BE
INSTALLED IN THE CITY OF MIAMI,
1,000 OF THEM HAVE ALREADY BEEN
ORDERED.
>> IT’S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
WE HAVE 28,000 HEDGE BASINS --
CATCH BASINS IN THE CITY AND
EVER SINGLE ONE OF THEM IS
CONTRIBUTING TO THE PROBLEM BY
ALLOWING NUTRIENTS TO BREED TO
GET INTO BISCAYNE BAY.
>> Reporter: ON THIS DAY THE
OPEN INLETS ALONG SOUTHWEST
16th STREET AND 27th AVENUE
WERE BEING MEASURED FOR THE
CUSTOMER SCREENS.
IT’LL TAKE FOUR TO SIX WEEKSES
TO MANUFACTURE THEM.
200 SCREENS FOR EACH OF MIAMI’S
FIVE DISTRICTS.
THE FIRST BATCH TO BE INSTALLED
IN DISTRICT 2, DOWNTOWN MEAP,
AND THE BISCAYNE BAY CORRIDOR.
>> WE HAVE A LOT OF AREAS IN THE
CITY WHERE WE KNOW THEY’RE HOT
SPOTS BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF
DEBRIS THAT GETS CLOGGED IN THE
SYSTEM.
WE HAVE TO KEEP COMING AND
CLEANING IT MULTIPLE TIMES A
YEAR.
>> Reporter: AND NOW PUBLIC
WORKS CAN ACTUALLY TRACK THE
TRASHIEST STORM DRAINS, EACH NEW
SCREEN COMES WITH A QUARE CODE
THAT RESIDENTS CAN SCAN WITH
THEIR SMART PHONE AND UPLOAD
PICTURES TO REPORT CLOGGED
CONVENIENCE THAT NEED TO BE
CLEANED.
>> IS THERE AN AREA OF THE CITY
THAT WE NOTICE CONSISTENTLY
THERE’S A LOT OF TRASH AND
DEBRIS?
AND IF THAT’S THE CASE, THEN
MAYBE WE KNOW TO HAVE OTHER
METHODS TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM
AT THE ROOT.
>> Reporter: MORE GARBAGE CANS,
NO LITTERING SIGNS, TOOLS TO ATTACK THE STREET TRASH BEFORE
ATTACK THE STREET TRASH BEFORE
IT GET IN HERE AND OUT HERE.
>> IT’S OVER 100 POUNDS PER
STORM DRAIN PER YEAR THAT WE’RE
PREVENTING FROM GETTING INTO THE
STORM DRAIN SYSTEM.
>> GIVING THE BAY A FIGHTING
CHANCE TO HEAL.
>> I WAS RAISED IN SOUTH
FLORIDA.
WE DON’T WANT TO SEE POLLUTION
IN OUR OCEANS AND WATERWAYS.
THIS IS GREAT THAT WE’RE FINALLY
STARTING TO TAKE MEASURES TO
HELP REDUCE THE POLLUTION AND
REDUCE THE FLOODING THAT’S BEEN
OCCURRING HERE FOR MANY YEARS.
>> NO, WE DON’T WANT TO SEE
TRASH IN OUR WATERWAYS.
IT’S COSTING THE CITY OF MIAMI
$270,000 TO INSTALL THE 1,000
SCREENS BUT REMEMBER, THE CITY
HAS MORE THAN 28,000 STORM
DRAINS.
WE’RE ONLY TALKING 3.5% HERE.
MIAMI-DADE IS OVER 90,000 STORM
DRAINS COUNTYWIDE.
THAT’S AN EXPENSIVE PROPOSITION
ALL BECAUSE PEOPLE CONTINUE TO
LITTER.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SOP
TECHNOLOGIES, CLICK ON THE DON’T
TRASH OUR TREASURE TAB ON