river skimmer – Aquarius-Systems

Lynyrd Skymmr Rocks at Keeping Milwaukee Rivers Clean

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 16:34:40 +0000

If there’s a cooler name than the Lynyrd Skymmr for any piece of heavy equipment in America, Jim Stingl would like to hear it.

Milwaukee’s river skimmer is back on the water for the season with its rocking moniker. In 2013 the Aquarius Systems’ Trash Hunter collected 1,225 cubic yards of garbage and debris from rivers and Lake Michigan. It’s enough to fill 61 dumpsters this size:

Some cities, like Washington, D.C., haven’t bothered to name their skimmers. Others have come up with just-OK names. Houston, Texas calls its boat the Mighty Tidy, which beat out Stinky Pinky and Captain Clean in a contest there.

Cleveland, Ohio, home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, settled for the literal Flotsam and Jetsam for its river-clearing boats. New York has a few including the Jamaica Bay, Snowy Egret and Ibis. Yawn.

Jane Dauffenbach, president of Aquarius Systems in North Prairie, Wisconsin, which built Milwaukee’s boat, said aquatic weed harvesters made by the company were more often named. Brooklyn has the Lake Mess Monster; Bakersfield, California whacks watery weeds with the Mark Twain; and Indian Lake in Ohio uses the pun-free Lake Raker.

So it looks like Lynyrd Skymmr blows the competition out of the water. With a name that suggests high decibels, it’s notable that this 3-year-old watercraft is 40% quieter than its predecessor.

Litter Skimmer Celebrates One Year Removing Floating Debris

Thu, 20 Jul 2023 19:58:15 +0000

Tampa’s “Litter Skimmer” trash boat is celebrating one year on the water.

The boat operates eight hours a day, four days per week, picking up floating trash along the Hillsborough River, Davis Islands, and the Bay.

The Litter Skimmer launched last year as part of the “Keep It Clean, Tampa” initiative. Since it’s inception, the Little Skimmer has:

Been on the water for a total of 841 hours
Collected 40,216 pounds of trash (20.01 Tons)
Generated 9,645 KWh of electricity from the trash collected.

Milwaukee Trash Skimmer Removes Floating Debris from River

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 21:11:19 +0000

Plastic trash and debris as large as boards, barrels and trees — all washed into local waterways during early April rainstorms — were waiting for the Lynyrd Skymmr.

On Earth Day, the 50-foot-long river skimmer and its crew were pulling garbage and navigation hazards out of the Menomonee and Milwaukee rivers near downtown Milwaukee in Wisconsin.

The Trash Hunter has removed more than 40 cubic yards of debris from the water in its first few days of operation in the 2015 cleaning season. The mix has included tires, plastic 55-gallon drums and plastic bags.

As trees and long branches get hung up at bridge supports and other structures, trash and garbage accumulate behind the barriers and form large mats.

The boat operates an average of 110 days during a river cleaning season, which extends from April to late October. Its mission is twofold: remove unsightly trash and keep the channels safe for small boats. The skimmer has set debris removal records in each of the past two years: 1,225 cubic yards in 2013, followed by 1,445 cubic yards of urban flotsam in 2014. Last year’s haul included orange construction safety barrels, a full wooden cupboard and sports balls.

Wisconsin “Adopt-a-River” Program Teams Up With River Skimmer to Remove Trash

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 19:46:20 +0000

This adoption program requires just three days of personal, hands-on time annually and a commitment of no more than two years.

Businesses and community groups are being asked to volunteer for a first-ever “adopt-a-river” program in Wisconsin and remove trash along the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic rivers and their tributaries, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Executive Director Kevin Shafer said.

Garbage pollutes the water and degrades habitat for fish, birds and other wildlife, Shafer said.

The program works alongside the district’s 50-foot-long river skimmer. The skimmer, named Lynyrd Skymmr as a tribute to southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd in a 2011 contest, hit the water Tuesday for the first time this year under the command of Capt. Scott Cassavant.

His crews pull garbage, debris and navigation hazards out of the rivers near downtown.