ALBUQUERQUE, NM (KRQE) — More work is underway to make the Rio Grande — and the Bosque — cleaner. A one-of-a-kind project in Albuquerque is proving very effective at filtering trash and debris. Now other structures like this are in the works.

Thinking of the Rio Grande and the Bosque, AMAFCA is building a series of filters in arroyos throughout the metro that are hotspots for trash and illegal dumping. “Unfortunately, yes, they have a lot of trash,” says AMAFCA executive director Jerry Lovato.

Lovato oversees an arroyo filtration project, the first of its kind, in the lower Arroyo Bear tributary near Wyoming Blvd. and road to Spain. “It’s divided into wagons, much like train wagons, and each wagon cleans the water in some way,” Lovato explains.

The first of the five cars filters out large waste, such as discarded sofas or shopping carts. “Then we would like to pick up some of the smaller materials – things like sand, dirt and gravel,” Lovato explains.

Finally, the water is clean as it flows to the river. “That way that AMAFCA and the city of Albuquerque are working on is how to get the water as quickly as possible, clean it up, and put it back in the system,” says Lovato.

Lovato says the cars have been fully operational for about a year. They picked up a substantial amount of trash and reduced the amount of sediment going to the Rio Grande by 50%. “Some of the things we learned about the Lower Bear project, we’re implementing in other areas of the city,” says Lovato.

Next is a similar project in the South Valley, near the Valle Do Oro National Wildlife Refuge. “[To] pick up some of the larger debris before it enters the wildlife refuge,” says Lovato. He says that while they can’t stop people from dumping into arroyos, projects like these are big steps forward in keeping our water clean.

“We want the Bosque to be an asset for everyone and part of that is making sure we keep the watershed clean as we drain water into the Rio Grande,” says Lovato.

He says the project off 2nd Street is expected to be completed next year.