Reducing trash pollution in local creeks, rivers and the San Francisco Bay is a high priority for municipal agencies in the Santa Clara Valley. SCVURPPP member agencies have reduced trash pollution in the Bay by preventing and managing stormwater trash in several ways, including:
- Local ordinances limiting single-use grocery bags & foam foodware
- Trash capture devices in the storm drain system
- Creek & shoreline cleanup events
Explore this section to learn more about trash impacts and regulations, trash sources in the Santa Clara Valley, what SCVURPPP and member agencies are doing to help, and how to measure progress in reducing urban trash loads to local creeks and the San Francisco Bay.
To support municipal agencies in these efforts, SCVURPPP has conducted on-land trash assessments, studied the effectiveness of trash control strategies including street sweeping and screens on storm drain inlets, and continued a webinar series via the Zero Litter Initiative (ZLI). These efforts have assisted municipal agencies in achieving reduction goals using multiple control approaches and assessment techniques.
Water Impacts and Regulations
Environmental Impact Trash is a serious problem for water bodies in the San Francisco Bay, local creeks, estuaries, and the Pacific Ocean. Data suggest that plastic trash persists for hundreds of years in the environment and can pose a threat to wildlife through ingestion, entrapment, as well as harboring chemicals harmful to the aquatic environment....
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Trash Sources in the Santa Clara Valley
SCVURPPP Trash Generation and Drainage Area Maps Baseline Trash Generation maps of SCVURPPP member agencies show the levels of trash observed circa 2009 on streets, sidewalks and other land areas draining to municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s). The Drainage Area maps show the land areas that are > 10,000 ft2 and directly connected to the...
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Actions
Trash pollution is a major issue in streets, local creeks, rivers and the San Francisco Bay. What are SCVURPPP and member agencies doing to help reduce trash pollution in the Santa Clara Valley? SCVURPPP and member agencies work to address trash concerns in a variety of ways: (1) At the source (2) In neighborhoods &...
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Measuring Progress
SCVURPPP member agencies make sure their efforts are reducing trash through various monitoring activities. Read on to learn more about: On-Land Visual Trash Assessments, Creek & Shoreline Monitoring, Operation & Maintenance, and Additional Resources. On-Land Visual Trash Assessments Staff assessing the visual impact of trash that could get into stormwater (Photo by Program Staff) This...
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Trash Reduction Data
Trash in receiving waters data will be included in the Water Quality Monitoring Data page. Explore Water Quality Monitoring Data Return to Trash Reduction Main Page
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