Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris and Orange County Coastkeeper hosted a river channel cleanup on Saturday, December 16, at the Santa Ana-Delhi Channel. Volunteers collected nearly 3,100 pounds of trash, ranging from large bulky items, plastic containers and other debris that would otherwise end up in Upper Newport Bay and the Pacific Ocean. This is the largest amount of debris collected at any Orange Coast Coastkeeper volunteer cleanup event in the organization’s history.
“It’s remarkable how much trash flows through Orange County channels and into the Pacific Ocean,” said Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine). “Our river channel cleanups help prevent all sorts of debris from polluting coastal waters and threatening marine ecosystems, including Upper Newport Bay.” “Thank you to the amazing volunteers who made this record event a success and continue to demonstrate their commitment to protecting our environment and coastline,” added Assemblywoman Petrie-Norris.
Orange County waterways collect trash from inland communities via the county’s rivers and storm drains. If not intercepted, the pollution impacts our oceans and shorelines. Community cleanups are one of the best ways for the public to help prevent this debris from polluting the sea and harming marine wildlife.
“Protecting our coastal waters from pollution starts on land, and channel cleanups make a huge impact,” said Irene Cordero, cleanups coordinator at Orange County Coastkeeper. “These cleanups are often the last opportunity to remove trash and debris before it harms our marine life. The Santa Ana-Delhi Channel leads directly into Upper Newport Bay, Southern California’s largest remaining natural estuary, where inland freshwater and coastal saltwater mix. Thanks to the hard work of our volunteers, we intercepted nearly 3,100 pounds of trash before it could harm this critical coastal ecosystem.”
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Orange County Coastkeeper is a member of Waterkeeper Alliance, which supports over 350 different independent programs across 47 countries. Founded in 1999, the mission of Coastkeeper is to protect swimmable, drinkable, fishable water and promote watershed resilience throughout our region. Coastkeeper is a nonprofit clean water organization that serves as a proactive steward of our fresh- and saltwater ecosystems. Coastkeeper addresses water issues impacting Riverside and San Bernardino counties through our Inland Empire Waterkeeper and Coachella Valley Waterkeeper programs. We work collaboratively with diverse groups in the public and private sectors to achieve healthy, accessible, and sustainable water resources for the region. We implement innovative, effective programs in education, advocacy, restoration, research, enforcement, and conservation. For more information, visit www.coastkeeper.org or call 714-850-1965.
Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris represents California’s 73rd District including Irvine, Tustin and Costa Mesa. She is the Chair of the Accountability and Administrative Review Committee. She is also a member of the Banking and Finance Committee; Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy Committee; Revenue & Taxation Committee; and, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee. After working her way through Yale University, where she double majored in Economics and English, Cottie had a successful 20-year career in finance and technology. She helped to build businesses and led teams at Fortune 500 corporations, small companies and start-ups. Follow the Assemblywoman on Twitter (@AsmCottie), Instagram (@asmcottie), and Facebook (AssemblywomanCPN).
