I am delighted to report that solid progress has been made over the past three weeks, and that we are significantly closer to getting the Brixham Litter Free Seas litter boom in place during Summer 21.
One of the most uplifting elements of this project, is the willingness of a multitude of different businesses, organisations and people to come together to make mutually beneficial things happen for the community. Naturally this includes the project's sponsors and partners; Rockfish and The Devon Environment Foundation but also Brixham's Harbour Master and his team, who have been as supportive as ever and always do what they can to help facilitate ideas and solve problems, which considering their limited resources, is all the more appreciated.
To help ensure we deliver a functioning product, we are working with Bolina Booms from Topsham who are advising on the boom design and potentially providing an upcycled section of floats from another project, this will be a welcome addition to the main boom structure, which will purposely be made from predominantly upcycled and repurposed items that have been recovered from our shores.
We have also had good news from ARC Marine Brixham that our three Reef Cubes are happily curing at their yard, and that they will soon be ready to be dropped onto the harbour seabed where they will not just become the anchors for the boom, but new habitat for a myriad of marine flora and fauna as they colonise the holes and voids in the blocks, which are purposely designed to promote biodiversity.
These images show our 750mm cubed Reef Cubes in their new state and how they will look once that they begin to be colonised, the process is swift and leads to all kinds of other beneficial knock on effects.
To ensure that the mooring lines that connect the boom to the seabed do not end up undoing the good work of the Reef Cubes, we are working with EcoCoast on an elasticated mooring scheme that will keep the boom in place and prevent bottom drag, which can be a problem with traditional chain based mooring systems in tidal locations. There is a five meter tide range in the harbour, so it is important that the boom does not swing with the tide.
The boom itself, is by design, a colourful and eye-catching installation, as it serves not only to prevent plastic and other pollution from becoming trapped in the sea wall, but also to demonstrate that many objects that are considered single use and routinely discarded as having no secondary value, do in fact have uses. To that end the boom is made up of buoys & containers that have been recovered off the coast by Till the Coast is Clear and other organisations.
There is still a huge amount of work to be done and we will now be engaging actively with the press and more local clubs, associations and schools to make sure that as many people as possible know about the project, its aims and how they can get involved.
A really important element of the boom is that its success will hinge on it being cleared of litter frequently, the intention is to have a kayak under lock and key on the quay side which may be used by trained local volunteers to clear the boom and place the litter in a holding cage, ready for moving to the fabulous Whale Sculpture! More on that next time.... :)