Anne:At the Geological Society of America annual meeting in Baltimore, Anne sought out a fantastic example of an innovative and successful approach to improving urban water quality. The Inner Harbor Water Wheel, affectionately known as Mr. Trash Wheel, is moored at the mouth of Jones Falls, an ultra-urban stream that drains much of the City of Baltimore. Floating rubbish is diverted to Mr. Trash Wheel by booms that span the stream, and the stream’s current powers rakes and a conveyor belt that lift the trash out of the water and deposit it into a dumpster barge. Solar panels power the operation when the stream’s velocity is insufficient to power the water wheel. Thousands of pounds of trash can be removed from the stream per day. As an added bonus, Mr. Trash Wheel has a charismatic Twitter account. Read more about the water wheel at Southern Fried Science and help fund a second one.