Babylon Village has finished installing an array of new filters that will allow stormwater runoff headed to the Great South Bay to be some of the cleanest around.
The sponge-like filters, created by AbTech Industries, keep objects both large, such as cans or leaves, and small, like oil and gas residue, from heading into drainage basins. The filters only allow purified waters to leave the drains, keeping the potentially harmful waste from reaching the bay.
According to an article on Waste & Recycling News, the filters are easily accessible and allow the village quickly fix any potential problems as well as keep the prestine bay from being contaminated.
The village announced it would install more of the AbTech filters earlier this year after a test-run with the company proved to be helpful and cost-effective.
In 2008, Babylon Village announced its plans to retrofit 96 outfall pipes with AbTech's stormwater treatment systems, utilizing a matching grant of $310,000 provided by Suffolk County once a testing period was complete.
It was expected that once all 96 installations were complete, collectively more than 8,000 pounds of contaminants, including 7,000 pounds of toxic hydrocarbons will be prevented from entering the Great South Bay annually.
Earlier this week, Lindenhurst also completed its installation of its own AbTech system near Fellers Pond.
