Twelve cities will collectively receive more than $2.4 million as part of a program that cleans up runoff and protects local waterways from pollution.
The funds come from Measure M, also known as OC Go, the half-cent sales tax renewed by Orange County voters in 2006. The ballot measure included funding for an environmental cleanup program that awards money on a competitive basis to cities and the county for projects that reduce the impacts of water pollution related to transportation.
“This is yet another way that Measure M, our county’s half-cent sales tax for improving transportation in Orange County, is also working to improve the quality of life for our residents,” said OCTA Chairwoman Lisa Bartlett, also the county’s Fifth District Supervisor. “I am proud of the work that’s being done to keep our waterways clean throughout the entire county.”
Since the program began in 2011, OCTA has awarded more than $20 million in funding for 154 water-quality improvement projects -- at least one from each of Orange County’s 34 cities and the County of Orange. Projects include purchasing or upgrading screens, filters and inserts for catch basins, as well as other devices designed to remove pollutants.
The following cities received funding:
- Anaheim
- Costa Mesa
- Fullerton
- Huntington Beach
- Laguna Hills
- Laguna Niguel
- Los Alamitos
- Newport Beach
- Placentia
- Santa Ana
- Seal Beach
- Tustin
The OCTA board has approved funding for 154 projects – at least one from each of Orange County’s 34 cities and the County of Orange – since the program’s inception in 2011.
For more information on the water quality program, visit here.