Ten acres of trash was removed this fall from a borrow pit at LSU’s Burden Museum and Gardens that has been collecting trash from stormwater for decades, according to a recent announcement from the LSU AgCenter.
The pit was featured in a January 2021 Business Report cover story about Baton Rouge’s litter problem. A number of litter cleanup efforts have launched in the region since then. In August of this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded $500,000 to the LSU AgCenter to implement three litter abatement sites across Baton Rouge. Those sites included The Burden Museum and Gardens, the Capitol Lakes, and Bayou Fountain at BREC’s Highland Road Park. Supplemental funding totaling $400,000 was provided by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and $75,000 by the lieutenant governor’s office.
Alabama-based environmental contractor Osprey Initiative was contracted to remove and study the trash at the Burden. Osprey is now working with the AgCenter and Tricoeur Engineering Services to determine where to strategically place different litter catching devices to test their efficiency in catching trash before it flows into the Burden wetland.
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The information gained from the tactical cleanup will also be used to educate the public and local businesses about how to reduce the amount of litter before it gets into storm drains.
Additionally, the botanic gardens is working on plans to enhance the borrow pit and wetland and link them to the existing trail system for the public to access the demonstration site. The site will educate municipalities on stormwater management for improving quality of life and environment, according to the AgCenter.
This story originally appeared in a Dec. 19 issue of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.