Fighting Litter with a Little Help from our Non-Profit and Private Friends

Rosemary Ginn, Alabama, PE, CFM, CPMSM & Don Bates

The City of Mobile is blessed with a number of partners who share the same vision for our community and work together in the fight on litter. The presentation will discuss the lessons the City has learned with its Bandalong litter trap in Eslava Creek in the Dog River watershed, as well as challenges faced with using City employees to collect litter in water using a Jon boat and Carolina skiff. A pro-active capital improvement project was bid in 2016 to install MDI litter capture devices. In 2017, a City-wide litter patrol was rolled out to collect litter in the City’s rights of way and supplemented with personnel provided by Community Service volunteers. The City efforts have been greatly enhanced by the work of the area’s non-profit groups. The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) was awarded an EPA Trash Free Waters grant and work was done in the Three Mile Creek watershed, including the installation of ten (10) litter gitter devices and a single pass of tactical cleanup of a significant portion of the watershed. The Mobile Bay Keeper was awarded a NOAA Trash Free Waters Grant; they partnered with the City within the One Mile Creek watershed for a “Trash Free Mardi Gras.” The MDI litter capture devices were utilized along with a litter clean up. The Dog River Clear Water Revival (DRCR) received an EPA Trash Free Waters grant and work started in the Dog River watershed in 2020. Litter gitters and in water litter removal is planned for this watershed. The Osprey Initiative, LLC (Osprey) was the private company who performed the work for the in-water litter removal for the MBNEP, Mobile Bay Keeper, and DRCR grants. For the MBNEP and DRCR grant, Osprey deployed the litter gitter devices used. In 2019, the City hired Osprey to perform in-water litter removal in the Dog River, One Mile and Three Mile Creek watersheds. On all three (3) grants and on the City’s in-water private litter removal, Osprey is performing EPA’s Escaped Trash Assessment Protocol (ETAP). The City of Mobile and Osprey would like to demonstrate the progress made and celebrate the victories, as well as discuss the lessons learned, in the City’s expanding litter control program over the last five (5) years.

Rosemary Ginn, Alabama, PE, CFM, CPMSM

Presented by Rosemary Ginn, Alabama, PE, CFM, CPMSM Assistant City Engineer, City of Mobile& Don Bates Owner/Founder, Osprey Initiative, LLC

Rosemary Ginn is an Auburn engineer and licensed in five (5) states including Alabama. Rosemary is a Certified Flood Plain Manager (CFM) and Certified Professional in Municipal Stormwater Management (CPMSM). She has been with the City for 15 years and has managed the City’s MS4 program since 2014 and has served as its Assistant City Engineer for seven (7) years. She has worked in Permitting, Flood Plain Management and Environmental areas while at the City. Prior to working at the City she was in the consulting world for 12 years. Rosemary developed a love for civil engineering while watching the interstate system being constructed around Birmingham, Al. with her father as a young girl. She never knew that her career path would take her into a new love of fighting litter and keeping dumpster juice out of waterways! Her professional organizations include Past President and current Board Member of Alabama Chapter of American Public Works Association (APWA); Board Member Southeast Stormwater Association (SESWA); Founding (past) Board Member – Alabama Stormwater Association (ASA); Graduate of Leadership Mobile Class of 2009; and Member of Association of State Flood Plain Managers (ASFPM) and Alabama FPM.

Don Bates is the owner/founder of Osprey Initiative, LLC and the inventor of the Litter Gitter. A graduate of Millsaps College (B.S. Geology 1992), he has over 25 years of experience in the environmental consulting business and is a registered geologist. Prior to starting Osprey Initiative, LLC, he was an Executive Vice President for a Southeast Regional Civil Engineering firm where he managed operations for 250 people in 12 offices in 7 states. Born in Hammond, Louisiana, he grew up in the swamps around Manchac, Louisiana and still gets back to the Galva Club fish camp whenever he can. He has spent most of his life in and around waterways and has a passion for maintaining and improving our natural resources. Married with 4 children, he feels that the best legacy he can leave to future generations is access to wild places un-marred by human impacts. When not removing litter from our waterways, he can usually be found working on an old boat.