Collec’Thor

Emissions-free, high-capacity, weed and trash skimmer

PREVENTING THE SPREAD OF AQUATIC INVASIVE WEEDS

The Tahoe Keys Lagoons and neighboring marina – the Lake’s largest – are choked with harmful, aquatic invasive plants that are creeping into the Lake itself. These invasive weeds threaten Lake Tahoe’s delicate ecology, which can impact water clarity. They outcompete native species, affect nutrient cycling and impact algal growth, which can turn Lake Tahoe’s blue water green.

The League to Save Lake Tahoe is leading a team of public and private partners, including the Tahoe Keys Marina and ECO-CLEAN Solutions, to implement innovative technologies that ratchet up containment on Tahoe’s largest infestation of aquatic invasive weeds.

Collec'Thor water cleaner series 1
Collec'Thor water cleaner series 2
A WATERBORNE WASTE BIN ON STEROIDS

The Collec’Thor is a high-capacity weed and trash skimmer that attracts and collects solid and liquid waste floating on the surface. It operates by continuously pumping water through its five-foot long filter. Water passes right through, while up to 220 pounds of floating weeds and trash are captured in the device’s hopper. The Collec’Thor is installed at the water’s edge or on a floating dock in areas where marine waste tends to travel.

Collec’Thor Performance Features

High Capacity, Fine Filter:
Holds up to 220 pounds of waste. Large attraction perimeter. Catches microplastics from 4 mm.
Durable:
Long service life. 24/7 operation.
Mobile, Small Footprint:
Quiet. Compact Design. Electric / emissions-free
INNOVATION IN ACTION

The Collec’Thor works together with other weed-fighting innovations the League has brought to Lake Tahoe.

  • PixieDrone: A battery-powered, autonomous and programmable, motorized skimmer that glides across the water’s surface, gathering debris. Introduced in 2023 by the League, ECO-CLEAN Solutions and the Tahoe Keys Marina.
PixieDrone in the Tahoe Keys Marina

Photo: Katy Jo Caringer, ECO-CLEAN Solutions.

  • Bubble Curtains: A device that emits a wall of tiny bubbles – mimicking the fishing techniques of humpback whales – to corral floating weed fragments for removal. Introduced in 2018 by the League and Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association.

Keys channel aerial rendering The three devices will be used in concert. The bubble curtain acts as a blockade and conveyor belt, preventing weed fragments from leaving the marina and ushering them to an area where the Collec’Thor waits to trap them for removal. At the same time, the PixieDrone will motor along the surface, sweeping the area for any fragments that may have escaped.