Abtech Holdings Inc. (fka ABHD)

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Babylon Leaders Protect Great South Bay from Greatest Source of U.S. Water Pollution; Set Standard for Municipal Stormwater Treatment
08/15/2012
Green Infrastructure Solution Proves Critical, Affordable Last Line of Defense
BABYLON, N.Y., Aug. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Village of Babylon, located on the southern coast of Long Island and AbTech Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: ABHD) ("AbTech"), a developer and manufacturer of patented innovative environmental technologies addressing issues of water pollution and contamination, announced today the results of a five-year study exploring the efficacy of AbTech's proprietary Smart Sponge® filtration technology in preventing stormwater contamination of The Great South Bay and the nearby Long Island Sound. The study, which analyzed the contents of AbTech's Smart Pak® cartridges from two outfall pipe installations located at Green and Alexander Avenues, found that Babylon's existing installations captured approximately 1,600 pounds of total contaminants from stormwater annually, including 1,400 pounds of toxic hydrocarbons.

"Untreated stormwater runoff is the single greatest source of water pollution in the United States, and The Great South Bay has been particularly affected with the intense development of Long Island," said Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. , President of the Waterkeeper Alliance. "Municipalities are at the heart of the fight to preserve water resources for future generations and Babylon has set the bar for cities nationwide in reducing the runoff of fertilizers, pesticides, pathogens, and petroleum products."

In 2008, Babylon announced its plans to retrofit 96 outfall pipes with AbTech's stormwater treatment systems, utilizing a matching grant of $310,000 provided by Suffolk County once testing was complete. The initiative marked one of the first efforts nationwide by a municipality to address stormwater pollution using a green infrastructure solution. It is expected that once all 96 installations are complete, collectively more than 8,000 pounds of contaminants, including 7,000 pounds of toxic hydrocarbons will be prevented from entering The Great South Bay annually.

"When we set our stormwater management plan in motion, we hoped it would serve as an attainable model for our neighbors throughout Suffolk County," said Village of Babylon Mayor Ralph Scordino . "But after seeing these results, we are confident that our model will be employed throughout the country."

AbTech's treatment systems cost Babylon between $5,000 and $6,000 per unit to install and are retrofitted into existing stormwater infrastructure, eliminating the need for costly new construction. The systems require no electricity and minimal maintenance, and are effective at removing over 85 percent of toxic hydrocarbons from stormwater, in addition to sediments, heavy metals and other harmful pollutants. Once absorbed, hydrocarbons are permanently bound to the Smart Sponge polymer and cannot be leached away. Spent Smart Sponge material can be landfilled or burned as a high BTU, low emissions fuel source.

"Babylon's stormwater initiative is a perfect example of the progressive thinking that has made Suffolk County one of the best places to live, work and play in the nation," said Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone . "Our political leaders are constantly pushing the envelope to get the job done for taxpayers through innovative and cost-efficient ways."

Babylon will begin installation of additional stormwater treatment systems in November.

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Regan Communications Boston
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