Published: Sep 06, 2016 | 09:00 AM

Help Clean the Beach Without Going to the Beach

All that trash that winds up on our shores isn’t necessarily left there by careless beach-goers, it might have been tossed onto the ground many miles away. Then it might have found its way into a storm drain, which eventually empties onto the beach.

This is the premise behind Inner-Coastal Watershed Clean Up Day, now in its 20^th year.

Irvine Ranch Water District will host a clean up site for the 16th consecutive year on Saturday, September 17. Drop by the site on Riparian View, just off Michelson Drive, to do your part in helping the environment. The clean up is slated for 8:30 a.m. to noon and no pre-registration is required.

The site is one of 23 such sites that span the foothills to the coast. IRWD joins forces with Trails 4All, which conceived the idea of Inner-Coastal Watershed Clean Up Day in conjunction with Coastal Clean Up Day 20 years ago.

Over the years, thousands of volunteers have participated in cleaning up more than one million pounds of trash and recyclable materials.

Nearly all of inland Orange County is covered, much of the Coyote Creek Watershed along the Los Angeles and Orange County border, and expansion continues upwards along the greater Santa Ana River Watershed.

While Coastal Clean Up Day focuses on cleaning trash from the beach, Inner-Coastal Watershed Clean Up Day concentrates on getting trash out of the tributaries before it hits the beach. Trash dropped on the street ends up in storm drains and eventually finds itself on the coastline.

IRWD’s site is located off Michelson Drive on Riparian View, adjacent San Diego Creek and the San Joaquin Marsh. Please wear closed-toed flat shoes, hats, sunscreen and insect repellant. The entire family is invited to learn about environmental stewardship and students can receive community service hours for their participation.

More information on IRWD environmental programs is available on our website.