The Neabsco Creek Bandalong
Contributed by Susan D. Howell & Elliot Foster, VMN volunteers and Continuing Education Team in the Merrimac Farm Chapter
On Saturday, March 28, 2026, the Merrimac Farm Virginia Master Naturalists held our first field event of the year. We toured the Neabsco Creek Bandalong, Prince William County’s premier floatable trash capture system. It spans a portion of Neabsco Creek near Leesylvania Elementary School on Neabsco Road in Woodbridge.
The event began with an engaging, informative talk led by Drew Uglow, a Senior Environmental Analyst, MS4 Coordinator and Bandalong Project Manager with Prince William County, Virginia. It was an enlightening and very edifying tour!
What’s The Bandalong?
The Bandalong is a system of metal cages supported by floating booms that are anchored into the floodplain by steel cables. It captures floatable litter passively using only the power of the water flowing through it. It prevents items such as single use plastic bottles, polystyrene, and other kinds of debris from advancing downstream into the Neabsco Wetlands. The booms allow it to rise and sink with varying water levels so that trash is unable to flow over the top of the collection system.
What Does The Bandalong Do?
Prince William County and Micron Technology, Incorporated collaborated to install the Bandalong in 2021. The device continues to snare a tremendous amount of pollution, removed monthly by County workers, Micron employees, and volunteers. The result is significantly improved environmental health immediately downstream of the device, with numerical evidence and community feedback reporting a significant decrease in trash. This specialized equipment is effective at reducing the amount of plastic pollution entering tributaries, the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. It successfully traps plastic bottles, foam, food wrappers, and other debris that would otherwise pollute the waterways.
The Bandalong Litter Trap in Neabsco Creek continues to be a highly effective, award-winning tool for capturing floating debris and keeping it out of our waterways in Prince William County.
It’s a remarkable device to see! You will never see plastic water bottles in the same light. The amount of trash kept out of the tributaries and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay is overwhelming.
What Kind of Debris Does the Bandalong Collect?
The vast majority of floatable debris that the Bandalong captures are single-use plastic water bottles. Broken pieces of styrofoam food containers, packing material, minute pieces of degraded plastic foam beads (some less than a quarter inch in size), and glass bottles are also common. The catch also includes tennis balls, footballs, and basketballs; children’s play balls; and lots of cigarette butts, lighters, plastic bags, plastic food wrappers, aluminum cans, glass bottles, clothing, shoes, automotive oil jugs, and fishing gear. The trap prevented approximately 2,185 pounds of litter in 2025, including over 8,000 single-use water plastic bottles, from entering the Neabsco estuary and Potomac River.
The project is part of a broader environmental strategy in Prince William County for cleaner and more sustainable environmental solutions. The Public Works Department also has a Litter Cleanup Crew and assists with stream clean-ups.
As water is one of our most precious resources, it makes sense to keep it clean.
Visit the Bandalong
The tour, presented by Drew Uglow, will be offered again as a Continuing Education opportunity for VMNs. It was open to the public, as all Merrimac Farm Master Naturalist lectures & events are.
The Merrimac Farm Master Naturalist welcomed members from the Central Rappahannock Master Naturalist chapter to this event as well. Watch for the next Bandalong Continuing Education event. It’s definitely a must-see experience!
Uglow welcomes VMNs and others to volunteer at the Bandalong and help with cleaning the banks too. Cleanups are every third Wednesday of the month, and the start time varies based on the temperature. Reach out to him at auglow@pwcgov.org for information on the Bandalong, scheduling a tour, and to sign up to volunteer.