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Litter Reduction Why is Litter a Problem? Trash and litter accumulate in San Francisco Bay Area waterways, including creeks, wetlands, beaches, and the Bay itself, threatening aquatic habitat and recreational "Beneficial Uses" designated by the State of California. For example, wildlife may be harmed by becoming entangled in or ingesting trash, and human health concerns include discarded medical waste, broken glass, and animal and human wastes. At the recommendation of the San Francisco Bay Regional WaterQuality Control Board all Bay Area urban creeks, lakes and shorelines were placed on the State Water Resources Control Board 2002 "Monitoring List" due to the potential for trash to impair water quality. In response, the San Mateo Countywide Water Pollution Prevention Program (SMCWPPP) initiated a multifaceted program to begin identifying and cleaning up trash in urban waterways in San Mateo County; including municipal trash management, monitoring and assessment, community outreach and trash cleanups. Save the Date for the largest cleanup event in San Mateo County and join thousands of volunteers in keeping our local beaches and watersheds free of debris on the Results of 24th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day held Saturday, September 20th, 2008 from 9am to noon: Winners of the 1st Annual CCD Drawing Contest can be found throughout our website. What is Coastal Clean-up Day? Since the program started in 1985, nearly 700,000 Californians have removed more than 10 million pounds of debris from our state's shorelines and coast. When combined with the International Coastal Cleanup, organized by The Ocean Conservancy that takes place on the same day, California Coastal Cleanup Day becomes part of one of the largest volunteer events of the year. To learn more about how you can volunteer and help protect and restore our environment, please contact Ana Clayton at (650) 372-6214 or at pollutionprevention@co.sanmateo.ca.us. How can you participate in 2009? 1. Select a location from the 2009 list (available August 2009) and review directions and 2. Go to the site and check in. 3. Collect data and pick up trash.
California Stormwater Quality Association Award for Outstanding Stormwater News, Information, Outreach and Media
The Outstanding Stormwater News, Information, Outreach and Media Award was presented to San Mateo County Water Pollution Prevention Program for Coastal Cleanup Day 2006. SMCWPPP implemented a community outreach plan in which it educated residents about disposable plastic bag consumption and its effects, and distributed 3,000 reusable shopping bags. SMCWPPP also used this outreach to further publicize Cleanup Day 2006, which experienced an increase in volunteer efforts by 60 percent due to its promotion prior to cleanup day. Resources: Articles: Videos "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch," features the Greenhouse Gang uncovering an island of plastic bags in the Pacific
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