The Los Cerritos Wetlands have paired with Lake Forrest-based tech company Advanced Innovative Recovery Technologies Inc. to install foam barriers which provide unmanned cleanups throughout the region.

The implementation of absorbing barriers in order to treat waters is not particularly new. Take, for example, the permeable reactive barrier installed in Sunnyvale in order to clean the groundwater at the site of a previously operating semi-conductor plant. These barriers are far more effective than traditional pump-and-treat systems, which use more energy, cost more across the span of their use, and require consistent maintenance.

And it is here where the inspiration for this newer technology derives.

The hydrocarbon-absorbing foam barriers at Los Cerritos—which an estimated 97% of the oil collected in our waters can be removed, then extracted from the barriers for recycled reuse—are the first of its kind in California, having been introduced nationally to the market this year.

Lenny Arkinstall of the Los Cerritos Wetlands Stewards, made it clear as to why he headed towards making the AIR TECH partnership a reality.

“Driving down 7th street in Long Beach, you look at the curbs and all you see is more and more trash that ends up in our water,” said Arkinstall. “And when it rains? You can see the oil runoff coming from the LA River into the bay.”

A S&N Labs, a third-party organization that analyzes the foam barriers, discovered flame retardants, semi-volatile silicones, and petroleum oil.