On Aug. 10, the Board approved nearly $3 million to fund 18 projects that will help keep trash and debris from being deposited in waterways and the ocean. During the past five years, OCTA has allocated more than $14 million for 122 projects of this type as part of the Tier 1 Environmental Cleanup Program funded by Measure M, Orange County’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements.
When visitors jump into the waves at Orange County's many beautiful beaches, automatic retractable screens and marina trash skimmers probably aren’t top of mind. Yet these rather homely devices, purchased and deployed by Tier 1 funds, are part of what makes our local beaches so appealing. They trap the more visible forms of trash and debris and keep tons of trash from spoiling these public recreation areas.
Other Tier 1 projects conserve water. The 15 water-saving projects funded between 2011 and 2014 have a cumulative savings of 56 million gallons per year. How much water is that? According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a good-sized bath tub holds 50 gallons, so one million gallons would be 20,000 baths. Multiply that by 56, and that will give you an idea of how much water the Tier 1 projects have saved each year during the past four years.
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