Local inventor tracking illicit discharges into area streams

For local inventor Tom Mort, the path from an idea, to a working prototype, to the founding of company has been slow, methodical and enlightening.

Mort, who recently filed the papers for his new LLC, Stream Sense, has developed a product that helps cities and municipalities track illicit sewer discharges that contribute to the pollution levels in local water systems.

The biggest problem with this issue according to Mort, who was previously the City of Grand Rapids' water pollution officer, is "that illegal discharges are intermittent in nature and hard to find."

Mort explains that his devices are designed to be placed in drains, then remotely monitored on a regular basis, eliminating the "hit-and-miss" challenges of random, on-site testing.

Having worked on the project for over three years, Mort credits a network of resources that have helped him along the way. 

"The entrepreneurship program at GVSU kept me focused," says Mort, who also has worked with MI-SBDTC, GRIN and several local manufacturing companies to get his prototype ready for manufacturing.

To learn more about Mort's product, you can contact him from his LinkedIn profile.

Source: Tom Mort, Stream Sense, LLC
Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs Editor