AbTech Industries announced that its Smart Sponge Plus technology has been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the reduction of harmful coliform bacteria in storm water runoff, responsible for 20,000 beach closures per year.
“Hydrocarbons, bacteria and other harmful toxins swept from our streets into our rivers, lakes, and oceans are the major source of water pollution in the U.S.,” said Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., environmental advocate and attorney. “AbTech now gives us hope that technology can cure this intractable problem.”
“We are excited to provide our Smart Sponge technology to local governments and others who seek to address our nation’s most critical water pollution challenges, including coliform bacteria plaguing our public beaches, oil tainting our Gulf Coast region and storm water pollution running off our streets into public waterways,” said AbTech Industries President and CEO Glenn Rink. “AbTech is prepared to address these challenges, and we are grateful to the EPA for their timely approval of our storm water pollution filtration technology.”
Smart Sponge has long been a cost-effective technology proven to remove oil and other pollutants from storm water runoff. Smart Sponge Plus contains an antimicrobial agent that is effective in reducing coliform bacteria found in storm water, industrial wastewater, and municipal wastewater.
Smart Sponge’s technology is currently deployed in more than 15,000 locations throughout the world including, domestically, Long Beach, Calif.; Norwalk, Conn.; and Nags Head, N.C. The EPA’s approval of AbTech’s Smart Sponge Plus technology for the reduction of coliform bacteria is an important milestone for AbTech, the company said, and will allow municipalities, states and the private sector to better tackle this growing problem.
AbTech’s Smart Sponge technologies can be used to address water pollution challenges facing the nation, the company said. Smart Sponge Plus has antimicrobial capabilities that make it effective in reducing coliform bacteria found in storm water, industrial wastewater and municipal wastewater, according to AbTech.
Smart Sponge has the ability to help reduce pollutant loadings to places like the Chesapeake Bay, the Great Lakes the Long Island Sound and other national waters; and it is a green infrastructure technology that may be used to increase points in a LEED certified development. It is also made in the form of booms, skimmers and on-water filtration systems designed to remove oil from marine waters. AbTech is hoping to deploy products soon in the Gulf of Mexico to help address the spill.
