Volunteers clear more than 1.5 tons of trash and debris from Santa Ana Delhi River Channel in Newport Beach
Clad in protective gloves and rubber boots, about 40 volunteers ventured into the area where Irvine Avenue meets Mesa Drive at the Santa Ana Delhi River Channel in Newport Beach Saturday to help prevent debris from polluting coastal waters.
A considerable amount of trash and debris awaited their attention. When the work was done some 3,100 pounds of it had been collected, all of which had accumulated since the last cleanup was held just before Thanksgiving.
Volunteer Cindy Haq of Irvine was found trudging up the paved path, lugging a collection of grungy discarded styrofoam containers, inner tubes, a thermos and gas cans. That, she said, was just her first load.
“I love the ocean and earth and we live near the most gorgeous beaches in the world, and we need to take care of our home,” Haq said. Speaking of the assorted volunteers working the area with her, she added, “I’m so happy to see so many people from all walks of life, and different ages who all care about our earth.”
The Santa Ana-Delhi River Channel cleanup event Saturday was hosted by Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris and Orange County Coastkeeper.
O.C. Coastkeeper has adopted that section of the Santa Ana-Delhi Channel to help keep it clear of debris. The channel, which straddles the Costa Mesa and Newport Beach border before entering into Upper Newport Bay is the last chance to remove trash before it gets into the bay, according to Matt Sylvester, communications director OC Coastkeeper.
”This is the third channel cleanup co-hosted by OC Coastkeeper and the assemblywoman in 2023,” said Sylvester. “And this will be our sixth cleanup at the Santa Ana-Delhi Channel this year.”
Last Saturday’s haul broke the previous record of 2,500 pounds of trash collected during a single Coastkeepers’ cleanup day. That record was set in June 2022.
The bulky items found in a channel, such as tarps, couches and bikes are naturally heavier than small pieces of trash like plastic bottles, lids and cigarette butts usually found on beaches. Sylvester explained that 250 volunteers may yield 300 pounds of trash in a two-hour beach cleanup, whereas a two-hour stretch of 50 volunteers at the channel can collect up to 900 pounds.
“Everything flows downstream toward upper Newport Bay and ultimately the Pacific Ocean,” said Michael Tou, district director for Petrie-Norris. “The county put up the yellow ‘trash net’ barrier, which holds until a heavy rainfall pushes trash downstream ... cleanup is meant to keep that from happening.”
Once the items are collected, Coastkeepers notifies Orange County Public Works to pick up and deliver the trash to the dump.
Dyana Pena, associate director of programs for OC Coastkeeper, held a brief safety meeting prior to releasing volunteers into the channel area. Pena reminded everyone to stay on either side of the water, not to lift anything heavy or pick up anything sharp.
“We even do a graffiti assessment that may be observed along the waterways in the flood control channels, which are reported to the county,” Pena explained. “It’s all part of the stewardship of the county, and groups like us come in and supplement work that the county already does. The combined outreach lead us to less trash in the waterways.”
Petrie-Norris, who has partnered with OC Coastkeepers since 2022 in the Santa Ana Delhi Channel cleanup, said she was grateful to have so much outpouring of support from the community, adding, “It’s a fun way to connect with constituents and serve our community together.”
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