Refreshing Santa Clara County Rivers
More than 500 volunteers with trash pickers in hand scoured 36 miles of Santa Clara County riverbanks on May 21, collecting over 25,000 pounds of trash for National River Cleanup Day.
The annual event, put on locally by Valley Water and Creek Connections Action Group, was first started in 1991 by American Rivers. The event focuses on protecting rivers, watersheds and ecosystems from trash and litter. Since 2007, the local event has resulted in almost 475,000 pounds of trash collected from sites across Santa Clara County. Nationally, 32 million.pounds have been removed from American waterways in the last three decades.
“It was one of the first times in two years, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when we actually had organized group cleanups for National River Cleanup Day,” says Nick Ingram, a representative from Valley Water.
At one cleanup site, Valley Water partnered with Saved by Nature and Opening Doors 2020 to provide hot meals and hygiene kits to the unhoused people in the area.
“Some of the unhoused that were there joined our cleanup efforts,” Ingram says. “They grabbed gloves, trash pickers and a bag and joined the volunteers. Everyone had a great time.”
While the results of these trash cleanups leave rivers looking pristine, they also result in several expected — and unexpected — environmental benefits.
“Once a piece of trash enters a storm drain or stream it may continue downstream and affect many other water bodies (creeks, streams, rivers, lakes, estuaries, bays, ocean…),” according to a fact sheet released by the State Water Resources Control Board.
Cleaning up trash, especially around waterways, can help protect ecosystems that rely on that water source. Debris in rivers and creeks that flow into San Francisco Bay can entangle wildlife, disrupt migration patterns and even release harmful chemicals.
Other Recent Posts
Affordability Top of Mind For 6 Oaklanders This Election Season
KneeDeep’s Alex McCutcheon spent a recent afternoon asking passers by along Lake Merritt for their thoughts on affordability and climate change.
A Wasted Opportunity
Too many of this year’s crop of Democratic candidates are squandering the opportunity to connect the affordability crisis to the climate crisis.
Climate Issues On Your Ballot This Fall
Voters have a chance to approve more than $13 billion in resilient and transportation infrastructure funding for the Bay Area and the state this midterm election.
The Sleepy Midterm Race with the Biggest Influence on Climate Policy
Typically an undercovered downballot race in the past, the election of California’s next insurance commissioner could reshape the state’s fire and flood coverage.
Fire Weather in the Wind
As the hot Nevada air cools every fall, it gets pushed west to lower pressure areas over the Central Valley, where the wind heats up and dries out.
My Morning Cleaning Up the Oakland Estuary
On Oakland’s Creek to Bay Day, I joined 100 volunteers for I Heart Oakland-Alameda Estuary to remove shoreline trash.
RCDs Pay Extra Attention to North Bay High Schoolers
A $13,500 grant will help three North Bay conservation districts evaluate youth education programs and prepare high school students for environmental careers.
Creeks Make Good & Bad Homes
San Jose State researcher Costanza Rampini explores why the houseless favor creek banks, and how they weather the flood risk.
Bay Area Braces for Record-Breaking El Niño
Record high water temperatures in the Pacific are expected to bring dangerous sea level rise, waves, and rain to the region this winter.
Regional Housing Agency Invests in Affordability
The Bay Area Housing Finance Authority is launching a loan program to support the construction of mixed-income rental properties.
Decomposing wastes and plastics also contribute to greenhouse gasses and thus climate change. Experts say disposing of your waste properly, recycling when applicable, and reducing your single use plastic waste can all help reduce the impact on the environment.
“Keeping litter off our streets and public areas will ultimately help keep it out of our waterways, and reduce the trash we need to pick up during these events,” says Ingram.
Tools of the trash pick up trade allow volunteers to keep refuse at arm’s length. Photo: Valley Water.
