Clean Beaches Initiative Awards Millions

The State Water Resources Board has approved grants totaling $5.6 million dollars. Los Angeles will receive $4.1 million to keep urban run off from polluting the ocean along Santa Monica Bay beaches and $1.5 million will go to San Diego to keep runoff from polluting the waters along Mission Bay beaches. Funding for the projects comes from the Clean Beaches Initiative, part of proposition 13, the Safe Drinking Water, Clean Water, Watershed Protection and Flood Protection act of 2000. Passed by voters, the $1.97 billion bond program funds projects that protect the state's waterways, drinking water and beaches. The initiative seeks to alleviate the health hazards, beach postings and beach closures cause by non-point source pollution which is urban runoff contaminated by pesticides, fertilizers, animal waste, oil, grease, sediments and other toxics used in our everyday lives. When a beach is closed due to contamination, the economic effect can be devastating to local business owners. Clean Beaches projects are construction projects which demonstrate sustained, long-term water quality protection benefits. These projects get to the causes of beach closures and use diversion, repairs and treatment to alleviate bacterial contamination and keep beaches open. For more information, go to:

www.swrcb.ca.gov/cwphome/beaches/index.html.