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The Rotary Clubs of Cheyenne (Sunrise, Cheyenne and After Hours) along with our Rotary Partners of Rotaract and Interact in partnership with the Laramie Country Conservancy District (LCCD), Crow Creek Revival (CCR) with its local sponsors and Frog Creek Partners, LLC proposes a clean water project to purchase, install and maintain eight Gutter Bins as part of phase 1 of our clean water commitment to help prevent future contamination of Crow Creek as it passes through Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The Crow Creek Revival Project (CCR) is a multi-partner committee, led by the LCCD, to promote, enhance, restore, and revitalize the ecological value and function of Crow Creek for public enjoyment and community health. Phase 1 of the three-phase restoration project includes the 1.2 stream miles between Missile Drive and Martin Luther King Park at 16th Street. This stretch of creek is adjacent to the downtown revitalization project known as West Edge. West Edge comprises a majority of the area south of 23rd Street and west of Central Avenue. CCR is not approaching their vision as just another stream restoration project, but a revival of the very resource Cheyenne was founded upon, Crow Creek.
A critical part of the CCR is to stem the flow of pollution from Cheyenne's streets to improve the health of Crow Creek. Unless we prevent pollution from entering Crow Creek, the revitalization efforts will be unsuccessful. The CCR committee has expressed their apprehension in spending over a million dollars in stream work only to be inundated by sediment, municipal pollutants, and trash influx during every storm event. Also, the City has limited resources and initiative to take the necessary actions to limit pollution entering Crow creek, even though the City must comply with EPA Clean Water Act regulations.
Frog Creek Partners have developed a patent pending Gutter Bin™ stormwater filtration system. This system is a catch basin filter insert that can help solve the pollution problems in Crow Creek. The Gutter Bin captures many kinds of municipal pollution including trash, sediment, and hydrocarbons. It is a cost-effective device that maximizes regulatory compliance and minimizes operating costs by preventing clogged storm sewer lines. The Gutter Bins are accompanied with a Clean and Measure Pollution Service (CAMPS). CAMPS is an ongoing maintenance program where each Gutter Bin™ is cleaned and measured monthly or upon determined schedule. The empirical aspect of the Gutter Bin will help the City with future regulatory mandates within their MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) permit because of the ability to quantify the amount of pollution capture per bin.
Representatives have met with the City of Cheyenne engineer to verify that they will be willing to place these bins in 8 highly effected areas. In addition, a meeting with the Mayor of Cheyenne will occur prior to December 1st. This project will be sustained in the years to come by continued support by the LCCD, the CCR, the City of Cheyenne, Frog Creek Partners as well as the local Rotary Clubs. This is a long-term commitment to revitalize the Crow Creek area and keep our water resources clean. An additional benefit to the local community is that Gutter Bins are manufactured in Wyoming therefore helping support the local economy while also providing a global benefit to clean water.
In meeting with Frog Creek Partners and representatives from the LCCD and CCR, the Rotary Clubs feel that by using this grant to purchase the initial eight Gutter Bins, we can make an impact not only now but for future generations of Cheyenne and Laramie County citizens. We believe that this is just the beginning of this project as more partners sign on to purchase more Gutter Bins. In addition, clean water is not only important here in Cheyenne but in the world. As we are successful in reducing the pollutants that seep into Crow Creek by our stormwater system, this technology can then be used in other parts of the country and the world.
In addition a committee is being formed between all eight Rotary entities in Cheyenne to administer this project but also to continue to promote and help the CCR committee in achieving their objectives. Rotarians will be involved in all phases of this project. Therefore, we seek to purchase, install and maintain 8 Gutter Bins for a cost of $33,600 with the additional $1400 to be used for a public awareness campaign. The Rotary Clubs of Cheyenne will provide the initial $4000 to be matched by district and global funds. Please see the attachments for further explanation on the Gutter Bin and its potential use here in Cheyenne.
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