The Hall County/City of Gainesville Flat Creek Bandalong Litter Trap was recently named as the recipient of the American Public Works Association (APWA) - Georgia Chapter's 2016 Technical Innovation Award.

The APWA GA Chapter Awards Program recognizes outstanding public works individuals, groups, projects and awareness efforts representing the best achievements in the public works profession in Georgia. The awards are intended to bring meaningful recognition to excellence in the public works profession throughout the State of Georgia and bring to light the public works accomplishments that ultimately help keep our cities, counties, and state running smoothly and effectively on a daily basis.

“Once again, we are honored to be recognized for our devotion to keeping our community clean and free of litter,” Hall County District 4 Commissioner Jeff said. “We are proud of this collaborative effort with the City of Gainesville which ensures this community’s natural water resources remain healthy for future generations.”

The selection of the Flat Creek Bandalong Litter Trap for this award was based on the unique success of the Hall County Public Works Department and City of Gainesville Department of Water Resources for their innovative solution to a community issue that, unfortunately, everyone is familiar with: LITTER!

Since Flat Creek, a six-mile tributary, flows in and out of the City of Gainesville and unincorporated Hall County, a collaborative effort was initiated in 2014 between Hall County, the City of Gainesville, the Lake Lanier Association, Keep Hall Beautiful, the Hall County Green Alliance and numerous citizens and like-minded parties to develop a solution to protect Lake Lanier from the impacts of floatable trash and debris. After several meetings and field trips, the partners determined that the bandalong litter trap was the best option for addressing this growing concern.

Designed by Storm Water Systems Inc., the project scope also included the construction of a parking lot and educational display for school field trips and environmental awareness efforts related to water quality and protection of aquatic life.

The Flat Creek Bandalong Litter Trap Project has set the standard for using collaboration, partnerships, and innovation to deliver results that are sustainable and enhance water quality.

For more information on APWA GA Chapter's Awards Program, visit the Chapter web page athttp://georgia.apwa.net/.