Flood-Proof Litter Barrier

Does your local river have a trash problem? Does it also flood when it rains? If you answered yes to both questions, this build is for you. This litter barrier utilizes side channels within your river where the flood currents are lower. There, you can put a strong barricade made of wood and fencing. With the help of a litter boom that directs trash into the side channel, this litter barrier can block trash without getting destroyed by flash floods, and without costing thousands of dollars. I used a mix of materials while building this and adjusted the design as I went. Please do the same! Adjust as needed to make this build work for your available materials and the condition of your river.

1. Metal fencing (any kind that can block trash)
2. Long and thin wooden boards (can also use pvc pipes or bamboo) (12)
3. Wide wooden boards (2)
4. Screws
5. Drill
6. Twine (optional)
7. Water proofer
8. Thin metal rods (4)
9. Pool noodles
10. Rope
11. Netting
12. Saw/material cutter
13. Metal cutter

Go to your river and identify a side channel. This is any section of creek that it separated from the main river in a way that would allow you to extend a wooden barricade between the shore and the thing that is separating the creek. For me, a tree fell in the river along the shore and I used the alcove it created as my side channel. Measure the width of the creek, the depth of the water, and ensure there will be a way to extend netting from either side of your barrier to the shore and to the creek divider. For this, look for trees or surfaces where you can build vertical posts. Also find something that you can tie a rope to that is upstream at least twenty feet. The further the better. Measure the distance from it to where your side channel starts (at the creek divider). Take these same measurements (or at least estimate them) when it is flooded. Photos and videos are especially helpful.

Use your measurements to draw your litter barrier on paper. It's measurements will depend on the width and depth of your side channel, both when at a normal level and when flooded. The three main components of the wood-fence barrier will be the two halves of the frame, the side connectors, and the wooden boards across the bottom. Measure all of your materials as well! Yu should also sketch where the litter boom will extend from your side channel to upstream. Read these remaining instructions before designing on paper.

The frame of your barrier will consist of two separate halves. The first half will be a large wooden rectangle made form your boards. The second half will be an identical rectangle. For this second half, use two boards or poles to create an X across it. Use your screw and drill to connect your boards, and use at lest two screws per two-board connection to ensure it is sturdy.

Cut a rectangular section of fencing that will fit across the length of your complete rectangle (not the one that's missing the top). Use your screw to create triangles that will keep the fencing in place, or screw small wooden boards over them. Just ensure that the fencing cannot slide off. The fencing does not have to be as tall as your frame, but it should extend at least halfway up. the higher the floods, the higher the fencing should extend. It is a good idea to connect the fencing at the bottom of your frame, but if you are worried about animals not being able to get passed it, move the fencing upward to create a gap for animals to swim through. Just make sure it will not also let trash through.

Lean your two frame halves together with the half with the X connecting part-way down the half with the fencing. The triangles that are formed on the sides should almost be right triangles, but both sides should still be a little sloped. A good angle of connection will be 45 degrees, but if you want to make it stronger, increase this angle. Just keep water depth in mind since the larger the angle the shorter your barrier. Connect the two halves using screws on both sides.

Use 2 more wooden boards to connect the sides of your new frame. These will extend the width of the barrier on each side of it. Measure the width, cut the boards to the proper length, and use screws to connect each piece to the left and right sides. This will ensure the angle of connection between the two halves of the frame cannot change.

Cut two wide boards so that their length is a little bit longer than the width of the barrier. These boards do not have to be very wide, but should be wide enough to drill two holes which are vertically opposite each other. You will later stick metal rods through these holes to hammer your barrier into the ground. Lay out the boards so that when you place the barrier on top of them, they are evenly spaced. Connect these to the barrier with screws.

Use water proofer to water proof the barrier. This step should only apply if you used wood, or another material that can be damaged in the water. Ensure you get all joints and crevices.

If you are worried about your barrier coming apart, especially as you transport it, use twine to reinforce the joints. Simply wrap large amounts of twine around the connection points of each board and tie securely. It is not a good long term solution, but it allowed my barrier to stay together enough to transport it to my river and do repairs there.

Once you have positioned your barrier in the side channel, hammer 4 metal rods through the holes that you drilled into the wide, flat boards. This will ensure it does not get washed away. The ground may be rocky and it may seem like you can't hammer any more, but keep at it until the rod is at least 2 thirds of the way into the ground. With enough pounding, the rods can usually penetrate. If you use threaded rods then screw a nut onto the end of the rods to make certain that your barrier won't be lifted off the rods during a flood.

Stretch netting from the barrier to the shore, and from the barrier to the stream divider. This is for catching trash that may come around the sides of the barrier in an extra large flood. Ensure the netting on each side is connected to both the top and bottom of the barrier and will effectively block trash. The ends of the nets may be connected to trees, posts, rods, or anything that you know will not wash away.

Use the measurement you took from the stream divider to that point 20 feet upstream to calculate how many pool noodles will stretch that length. Take those pool noodles and feed a rope through them. Make sure that there is at least 2 feet of rope remaining on each end. This will be the litter Boom. Extend the litter Boom from where the channel first splits off from the river to the point upstream that you selected. Make sure the boom is touching the water the entire time so that there is no gap for trash to flow under. This boom will rise with the flood and direct the trash into the side channel. The reason it is not the most effective barrier by itself is because pool noodles can be easily damaged and trash can be buffeted over it or sucked under it. If you want to ensure that your boom will stay afloat, thread an inflatable football through the rope and put it into the middle of the boom. Footballs are very sturdy and will not sink unless punctured. Use trees, posts, rods, or another tall vertical structure to securely fasten each end of the rope.

Check on your litter barriers after each flood to ensure that it has not sustained any damage. Also, you should clean it out after every rain event, even if it has not caught much trash. It can build up quickly! You can enlist the help of your family, friends, or form a community group for its upkeep. It is also a good idea to record how much trash it catches each time and take plenty of photos, especially if you are entering your barrier in a contest or a reporter is interested in it. It is always good to keep records and document progress!