HomeMy WebLinkAboutSupplemental Information Received During Oral Communications - California's New Statewide Trash ProhibitionYoHelp
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COASTKEEPER. «pB
July 10, 2017
City of Seal Beach
211 Eighth Street
Seal Beach, CA 90740
Re: California's New Statewide Trash Prohibition
California has just promulgated legislation to eliminate all trash in inland surface waters, enclosed bays, estuaries, and
along shorelines. Each City, County and other dischargers must come up with a plan eliminate all trash discharges in the
next 10 years.
We are all grassroots organizations that are dedicated toward protecting and restoring the earth's ecosystems and
resources and we strongly support the California State Water Resources Control Board's new statewide trash policy and
encourage quick implementation by the City of (name). We ask you to:
• Please push forward to install catch basin inserts while you develop plans to eliminate all trash before 2027.
• Please consider us a resource in your planning efforts: we can mobilize volunteers to pickup trash along your
waterways)
This new trash policy consists of amendments to the California Ocean Plan and the Inland Surface Waters, Enclosed
Bays, and Estuaries (ISWEBE) Plan.
• Ocean Plan: Trash shall not be present in ocean waters, along shorelines or adjacent areas in amounts that
adversely affect beneficial uses or cause nuisance.
• ISWEBE Plan: Trash shall not be present in inland surface waters, enclosed bays, estuaries, and along shorelines
or adjacent areas in amounts that adversely affect beneficial uses or muse nuisance.
Trash is a direct threat to humans and wildlife. It leaches toxic chemicals into the water and serves as a breeding ground
for bacteria. It destroys habitat by attaching to vegetation and smothering it. It harms wildlife when it is consumed and
releases toxins or blocks digestive systems. It reduces recreational opportunities by raising harmful bacteria levels in
water and musing visual blight. It is not what Orange County needs as an international destination. It is our duty to work
together towards zero trash.
Our organizations have extensive experience removing trash. We have led 510 cleanups with thousands of volunteers at
Orange County beaches and in our rivers, creeks and flood control channels over the last thirteen years. We have never
come up empty handed. We collect data at all of our cleanups. Sometimes it is just weight, other times we call out the
trash by name: bottle caps, cigarette butts, straws, Styrofoam, etc. We have seen hundreds of tons of plant debris
riddled with trash after a storm event. Some people say that trash cannot be completely eliminated. We disagree.
People are completely responsible for the creation and distribution of plastic trash, and people can only be the ones
responsible for keeping it out of our waterways.
Even as planning to implement the statewide trash policy moves forward, all Cities and the County can make significant
reductions in trash by immediately moving to install catch basin inserts in high priority areas. We will support your
efforts to eliminate trash through local residents attending meetings and writing letters. In the first three years, let's
make a concerted effort to make significant trash reductions at the source before it fouls the water and shoreline in our
creeks and beaches where it is much more difficult and expensive to remove. With significant reductions at the source,
volunteer removal efforts in remaining isolated areas will be effective and long lasting)
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The Statewide trash policy provides two options (or tracks). Track 1 is our preferred option where trash capturing
devices are installed in high priority areas to reduce trash 10%a year until full capture is reached after ten years. Track 2
requires the development and implementation of a plan that achieves the same result using a variety of trash reduction
methods. Cities (or County) electing to proceed with a Track 2 program should include a monitoring element to quantify
the amount not being captured, the trash that escapes into the creeks and Flood channels. We will be observing the
effectiveness of the trash reduction efforts by monitoring the amount of trash that continues into our creeks and ocean.
We want to emphasize: trash that continues to be transported into our waters carries bacteria and toxic substances that
pose a health risk to humans and marine life. If good faith efforts are not made to maximize trash removal immediately,
the 10 -year grace period will not necessarily be sufficient for providing legal protection if there is evidence of Impacts to
people or marine life.
In closing, we would like to state the obvious: the goal of the County and every City should be Zero Trash. We want to
join with you to discussions on defining practical and innovative way to keep trash out of our waterways. As removing
trash once it is in the creeks and bays is expensive, let's really consider not making items that only get single use. We
encourage the County and Cities to make good faith efforts to immediately reduce trash entering our waterways, a
critical step to toward ultimately eliminating all trash in our streets and open space areas.
Thank you,
Garry Brown / Orange County Coastkeeper
Hoiyin Ip / Sierra Club Orange County Conservation Committee
Darrel Ferguson / Surfrider Foundation Newport Beach Chapter
Billy Dutton / Help Your Harbor
Philip Krajeski /ZeroTrash Dana Point
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