Cheyenne, Wyoming — The Rotary Club of Cheyenne and Frog Creek Partners recently received a $100,000 award from the Microsoft Community Environmental Sustainability initiative to help restore and protect Crow Creek in Cheyenne, WY from the threat of stormwater pollution.
The Rotary Club will use these funds to purchase at least 50 Gutter Bin stormwater filtration systems from Frog Creek Partners; a Casper, Wyoming based environmental technology manufacturing company.
“Microsoft wants to be a good community partner and help protect the watershed it uses,” explained Dennis Ellis, Wyoming’s Microsoft Community Lead. “Microsoft is making an investment into the future of the Cheyenne community and the health of the planet.”
The Microsoft Community Environmental Sustainability initiative, part of Microsoft’s Datacenter Community Development program, actively works to protect the long-term environmental health of Microsoft datacenter communities. Through partnerships with local leaders and organizations, Microsoft supports and empowers innovative solutions to address community environmental needs.
This project also aligns with two of Rotary International’s areas of focus: the environment and clean water.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Microsoft and Frog Creek to help clean and protect the water in Crow Creek,” said Brent Lathrop, president of the Rotary Club of Cheyenne. “Part of our mission is to carry out Rotary International’s goals on a local level, and this project does just that.”
“Most people don’t realize that the filth on our streets is flushed to rivers and oceans through the storm sewer network. The Gutter Bin acts like a coffee filter for storm drains. It removes cigarette butts, trash, and other pollutants from stormwater to help protect and restore watersheds,” said Brian Deurloo, Frog Creek Partners founder and president. “Stormwater pollution is seriously affecting the health of our planet and the food chain.”
The Bins capture an average of about 100 pounds of pollution per year per storm drain. The team expects to divert away from Crow Creek and capture at least 6,000 pounds (3 tons) of pollution every year.
“This project builds on a clean water initiative between Rotary, the Laramie County Conservation District and the City of Cheyenne started in 2019 to test the Gutter Bin stormwater filtration system. It is a prime example of an effective and productive public-private partnership that benefits a municipality, a non-profit organization, and private industry and the environment” Lathrop added. “The real winner is Crow Creek; a cleaner Crow Creek creates a more sustainable and resilient Cheyenne community.”
The team will work with the City of Cheyenne to identify storm drains that need a Gutter Bin to create maximum effectiveness. The Gutter Bin filters will be installed in 2021 in areas and street corners where they will be most effective for filtering pollution. The project team is working with the City to create a low cost, long term and sustainable maintenance program to ensure a successful future of stormwater filtration.
Media Contact:
Brian Deurloo, Frog Creek Partners 307-439-9570
Brent Lathrop, Rotary Club of Cheyenne 307-286-7661
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Frog Creek Partners’ Gutter Bin stormwater filtration system removes pollution from storm drains to help make rivers and oceans cleaner. Frog Creek Partners’ broad customer base includes municipalities and governments, as well as corporate and industrial stakeholders seeking to improve local water quality. Frog Creek Partners is a home-grown Wyoming company headquartered in Casper. Its products are engineered, manufactured, and assembled in Wyoming.