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
Uncertainty Requires a Buffet of Resilience Choices
Oakland plans three main resilience hubs. Activists say funding a more decentralized network could be more equitable.
Knock-On Flood Threat Gets 4-Inch Reality Check
Contrary to now popular hearsay, building a seawall won’t necessarily flood your unprotected neighbors along the bayshore.
Delivering BART Muck to South Bay Marshes?
Three million + cubic yards of tunnel muck from a subway extension could help raise South Bay marshes above rising sea levels.
Marin Makes Clean Sweep of Forest Floors
After witnessing fire disasters in neighboring counties, Marin formed a unique fire prevention authority and taxpayers funded it. Thirty projects and three years later, the county is clearer of undergrowth.
Get Plugged In To KneeDeep!
Are you a young writer, artist, photographer, creator, or storyteller? We want you to be a part of our magazine.
Making Shade Where There Isn’t Any
There are few trees and public spaces where residents can escape the unrelenting heat in the eastern Coachella Valley. A master plan for shade equity aims to change that.
New Rules on Rebuilds, FEMA Says No to Wet Feet
New construction projects supported by federal emergency funding must be built to withstand extreme floods, including anticipated rise in sea level.
Memo Distills Joint Approach to Flood Protection
Seven Bay Area agencies sign an agreement to beef up coordination on sea level rise adaptation projects and clarify who’s on first.
Letting the Cliff Crumble
As a community of nature-minded, eco-friendly folks, Santa Cruz has been working on climate adaptation plans for many decades. But no one anticipated the storms of early 2023.
Summer Tales of Fire & Heat
KneeDeep revisits some of our most thought-provoking stories about how we experience hot weather and fire season, and what local communities and governments are doing to protect us from impacts.
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.
