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Newport Beach City Council members were joined by state and county elected representatives for a ceremonial ribbon cutting on Friday, March 7 to celebrate construction of the Newport Bay Trash Interceptor.
According to information provided by the city, this innovative, sustainably powered system will collect hundreds of tons of floating trash and debris every year before it enters the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve, Newport Harbor and beaches.
The $5.5 million system is strategically positioned in the San Diego Creek about 800 feet upstream from the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve. Officials expect the trash interceptor to capture around 80 percent of the floating trash and debris from the San Diego Creek.
Depending on the amount of rainfall, it is estimated that between 100 and 500 tons of trash reaches the Upper Newport Bay via San Diego Creek every year.
The Trash Interceptor is inspired by a similar successful project in the Baltimore Harbor. It sits on a floating platform that rises and falls with the tide. The platform is secured to the creek bottom by guide piles. The platform holds a large, 14-foot wheel that spins using power from the river current or solar panels to move a conveyor belt.
Trash floating downriver is then collected in four steps.
First, a boom system directs floating trash toward the Interceptor. Then a spinning rake moves trash from the boom area to the conveyor belt. Trash is deposited from the conveyor belt into a collection container. When that container is full, the container is moved by a short rail system to be transferred to a standard trash truck.
The Trash Interceptor is said to complement other City trash-reduction efforts already in place, including trash booms, catch basin collection systems and floating skimmers.
Project partners recognized at the event included District 47 Congressional Rep. Dave Min; District 72 State Assemblymember Diane Dixon; District 5 Orange County Board of Supervisors, Supervisor Katrina Foley; State of California Dept. of Water Resources; Ocean Protection Council; Orange County Transportation Authority; and Help your Harbor/Surfrider Foundation. The contractor is Brea-based Jilk Heavy Construction, Inc.
“I have been part of this project since inception, starting over 10 years ago when I served on the Newport Beach City Council and as Chair of the Water Quality Committee,” said Assemblymember Dixon, a former Mayor of Newport Beach whose assembly district includes Newport Beach. “I was delighted in 2022 to work through the State Budget process as an Assemblymember to find funds to complete this project. This trash wheel will greatly improve our regional efforts to prevent trash and debris from entering the ocean.”
The removal of pollutants via the trash wheel prevents litter and contaminants from reaching the ocean and becoming marine debris, ultimately improving the water quality of the region.
“Our businesses rely on tourism, and marine life relies on a healthy ocean,” said Assemblymember Dixon. “It is a big achievement to invest in projects that make these things possible. These are taxpayer dollars at work to make our community better. I am looking forward to seeing how this trash wheel will make a difference for residents and visitors in my district, in addition to a healthier and cleaner environment for all generations to enjoy.”