Smart Sponges Make Cleaning Up Drains a Cinch

by Andrea Millar — April 29, 2008

Runoff from construction sites, industrial zones, and gas stations can be a huge problem in cities' water cycles. Hydrocarbons, solid wastes, and bacteria end up draining out into the nearest available large source of water, usually an ocean or a lake, and the resulting pollution can mean that beaches and fishing are closed for days after a rainstorm. Cities across the country like Norwalk, Connecticut and Key West, Florida are cutting down on their 'no swimming' days by installing synthetic Smart Sponges. Using absorbent polymers, Smart Sponges restrict both biocontaminants such as salmonella and hydrocarbon-based substances such as oil waste from escaping into the water table. Made by Arizona-based company Abtech, each Smart Sponge has the consistency of popcorn or styrofoam and is placed in drainage areas, sucking harmful bacteria and chemicals up into easily disposed of pucks of solid waste. The water that comes out is cleaner and more chemical-free. Good news for fish, and great news for those of us who will at some point end up drinking that same water.

In Norwalk, deployment of the sponges was part of an initiative lead by Joe Lieberman and the EPA. Two years later, studies indicate that the equivalent of 12,000 gallons of oil and 19 tons of trash were captured by Smart Sponge systems. Whether you can swim in the nearby Long Island sound is still another matter, but with headliners e.coli and staph on the list of Smart Sponge-targeted microbes, the Abtech product has piqued interest nationwide. The method of disposal is fairly green too, with filled up sponges often ending up in batches of Portland cement, according to the EPA's write-up about them.

Smart Sponges only possible drawback is that they're presently a bit difficult for the public consumer to access; their Web site features mostly specs and ways to gather more information. Still, it comes as an option worth considering for many regional governments or private organizations looking to reduce the ecological cost of run-off.