A combined Townsville Council, State Government, Commonweath and community base initiative to maintain and enhance
our healthy waterways in the coastal dry tropics.
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Gross Pollutant Trap (GPT)

Categories of GPTs
Dry storage
(Standing above
water level)
Wet sump
(Standing below
water level)

  • Self draining
  • Cheaper to operate
  • Collected material can be delivered to local landfills

  • Permanently inundated
  • More expensive to operate
  • Wet waste are classified are toxic
  • Disposal via an environmentally controlled waste station
  • Needs to be cleaned frequently
  • Risk of biochemical reactions
  • Risk of by-products to be washed into waterways

GPTs are devices that collect large pollutants from waterways, before they enter wetlands and marine waters. They are used in urban water infrastructure such as stormwater drains, urban wetlands, beach fronts, airports...

Large pollutants can include anything such as leaves, bottles, plastic bags, cans, take-away food containers etc. They do not include pollutants such as heavy metals, dirt, bacteria or chemicals from fertilisers and pesticides; however some of these smaller pollutants are prevented from being released in the waterways when they are entrapped in bigger pollutants; and the natural processes help to breakdown these pollutants into harmless forms.

For more information on GPTs please visit:


Table designed from information from http://www.wordconstructions.com/articles/technical/gpt.html

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