LA Rivers Get Trash Interceptors to Protect Ocean

After decades of watching trash pour from storm drains into rivers and onto beaches, Southern California communities finally have a solution that works.

Two new trash interceptor systems will be installed in the San Gabriel River and Los Angeles River, stopping debris before it reaches the Pacific Ocean. The technology comes from nonprofit group The Ocean Cleanup, which already runs a successful interceptor at Ballona Creek near Marina del Rey.

The problem has plagued coastal communities for generations. Every time it rains, trash flows through storm drains and rivers straight onto beaches. Seal Beach alone removed an estimated 500 tons of debris last year, about 100 tons more than the year before.

The solution emerged when Assemblymember Diane Dixon teamed with Seal Beach Councilmember Joe Kalmick two years ago to create the San Gabriel River Working Group. Dixon had already championed a Newport Bay trash interceptor that collected 400 tons of trash in its first year.

Officials from Los Angeles and Orange counties announced the partnership Wednesday at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Los Angeles County will cover operational costs for both new interceptors, up to $1 million annually.

The Ballona Creek interceptor launched in late 2022 and has already collected 206 tons of trash. That pilot project started in 2019 after community members complained about debris flowing into the ocean.

The Ripple Effect

The collaboration shows what happens when communities work together across county borders. Cities, counties, state leaders, private partners and nonprofit innovators joined forces to tackle a problem no single entity could solve alone.

The two new interceptors will cost between $5 million and $8 million, funded through a mix of private and public sources. The systems will prevent hundreds of tons of plastic from reaching the ocean each year, protecting marine life and restoring beaches to their natural beauty.

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson emphasized the importance of clean coastlines as the 2028 Olympics approach. The city wants to showcase the best of Southern California to the world.

Kalmick, who has lived near Seal Beach's waterfront for 50 years, always wondered if anything could stop the endless flow of trash. The solution once seemed out of reach.

Now it's becoming reality, one river at a time.