City Officials Talk Trash during Prop O Press Event

On December 13, 2007 City Council President Eric Garcetti was joined by Councilmember Jan Perry, leaders from the Department of Public Works, Heal the Bay, and the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, as well as numerous reporters and television crews to celebrate a Proposition O victory.

The Prop O Catch Basin Press Conference observed the completion of the first two phases of a three-phase plan to prevent litter from polluting our creeks, rivers and beaches. In Phases I and II, Proposition O facilitated the installation of 14,300 catch basin screen covers and 7,400 catch basin inserts throughout the high and medium trash generation areas of the City, preventing litter from entering L.A.s surrounding water bodies.

To kick-start the event, a massive blue Vactor truck pulled up to the busy intersection of Broadway and 32nd in South Los Angeles to demonstrate a routine catch basin cleaning. City officials and environmental leaders watched in wonder as the enormous vehicle used its vacuum-like hose to suck out heaps of litter from an uncovered catch basin.

This demonstration was an example of one of the Citys many preventative cleanup measures used to remove the litter accumulated in catch basins before heavy rain flushes debris through the storm drain system. According to the Bureau of Sanitation Wastewater Collection Systems Division (WCSD), the City has successfully diverted 1,537 tons of trash -- an equivalent of 170 garbage trucks full of litter -- from reaching the beaches and ocean.

"We started the program in the areas that generate the most trash so that we could make the biggest impact, said Project Manager Alfredo Magallanes. As we head into the rainy season, we want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to protect our ocean, lakes, and rivers."

The goal of Phase III is to retrofit approximately 34,000 more catch basins within the next three years, covering the remainder of the Los Angeles communities and protecting coastal areas from high levels of contamination after a rain event.

This Prop O funded project is just one vital effort toward the Citys overall goal to prevent pollutants from entering our water bodies, said Cynthia Ruiz, President of the Board of Public Works. Litter in the L.A. communities is still a major pollution issue. The most significant solution occurs when residents take personal responsibility for their actions, set an example for the rest of the community and properly dispose of their trash.