Pasadena Business Hopes To Improve Water Quality Across The USA

PASADENA, MD -- Local business Clearwater Mills, LLC, has teamed up with Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit to design a device together that will remove plastics and other floating debris from coastal stormwater systems.

Clearwater Mills is the creator of Mr. Trash Wheel, which has become famous in recent years for all but eliminating floating debris in the Baltimore Harbor. The jointly designed Clearwater Mills/Yamaha Rightwaters device will differ from Mr. Trash Wheel because it will be land-based and electrically powered. Yamaha plans to deploy the device as part of its Yamaha Rightwaters™ sustainability campaign, a national program focused on water, which includes conservation, habitat restoration and projects to reduce marine debris.

To date, Mr. Trash Wheel has prevented 1,200 tons of debris from entering the Harbor, the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Because of the success of Mr. Trash Wheel, Baltimore has added Professor Trash Wheel and Captain Trash Wheel; a fourth Trash Wheel is in the works for the Harbor. Yamaha and Clearwater Mills plan to deploy the new Yamaha Rightwaters device in coastal Georgia, according to a press release the companies distributed.

“The challenge we face with the Yamaha Rightwaters design is to ensure it operates efficiently where water flow is inconsistent,” said John Kellett, president of Clearwater Mills, in a statement. “If we can make this pilot project work, we will have created something we can use to keep debris out of marshlands, coastal waterways and off the beaches all along the Atlantic Coast.”

If the Georgia pilot project is successful, the companies hope to install similar devices across the country and attain cleaner water from coast to coast.