Costa Mesa, CA – Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris and Orange County Coastkeeper hosted a river channel cleanup on Saturday, March 22, at the Santa Ana-Delhi Channel near the Upper Newport Bay—one of California’s few remaining estuaries. Volunteers collected 1,400 pounds of trash ranging from large bulky household items to bottles, disposable vapes, and Styrofoam that would otherwise end up in the Upper Newport Bay.
This cleanup builds on previous efforts earlier this year, where nearly 1,000 pounds of trash was collected from the same channel. Over the years, hundreds of volunteers have participated in Assemblywoman Petrie-Norris’ beach and channel cleanups helping remove over 13,700 pounds of debris from the waterway and along the Orange County coast.
Orange County waterways collect trash from inland communities via the county’s rivers and storm drains. If not intercepted, the pollution impacts our oceans and shorelines. Community cleanups are one of the best ways for the public to help prevent this debris from polluting the sea and harming marine wildlife.
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Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris represents California’s 73rd District including Costa Mesa, Irvine and Tustin. She is the Chair of the Utilities and Energy Committee. She is also a member of the Budget Committee; Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact Committee; Insurance Committee; and, Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee. After working her way through Yale University, where she double majored in Economics and English, Cottie had a successful 20-year career in finance and technology. She helped to build businesses and led teams at Fortune 500 corporations, small companies and start-ups. Follow the Assemblywoman on Instagram (@asmcottie) and Facebook (AssemblywomanCPN).