San Gabriel River Trash Mitigation Initiative
Background
The City of Seal Beach has been experiencing significant trash accumulations on its public beach with recent data reflecting an impact of more than 400 tons per year, not counting trash already collected from area bins and dumpsters. Upon receiving updates on this issue, Assemblymember Dixon's office convened a working group made-up of key stakeholders (“Working Group”) including, but not limited to, the following entities:
State Assemblymember Dixon’s Office (AD72)
State Assemblymember Lowenthal’s Office (AD69)
County of Los Angeles
County of Orange
City of Seal Beach
City of Long Beach
Surfrider Foundation (North Orange County & Long Beach Chapters)
After comprehensive research efforts were completed and presented to the Working Group in January 2024, follow up action items were established and allocated to various Working Group members. One of the initial actions included the development of high-level cost estimates to implement a long-term mitigation strategy over various phases and to identify near term and future funding sources. Supported by regional funding, the preliminary phases include a Feasibility Study, with the potential for future Final Design, and future Implementation.
Protecting the San Gabriel River: Trash Mitigation in Action
Join Program Manager and Seal Beach consultant Shane Silsby for an engaging conversation with The Ocean Cleanup founder Boyan Slat and Seal Beach Council Member Joe Kalmick .
Congressman Dave Min shares why advancing the San Gabriel River Trash Mitigation Initiative has been one of his top priorities and why he continues to advocate for federal funding to protect the San Gabriel River and preserve the Southern California coastline.
Discover how regional partners are working together to reduce trash pollution, improve water quality, and protect the Pacific Ocean and Southern California coastline through proactive mitigation efforts and long-term environmental stewardship. The videos below highlight the collaborative strategies and innovative solutions being implemented throughout the San Gabriel River to capture debris before it reaches our beaches, helping preserve local ecosystems and create a cleaner, healthier environment for future generations.
Goals
Enhance Habitat: Restore and expand native vegetation to support local wildlife and pollinator species.
Improve Water Quality: Reduce runoff pollutants and increase stormwater infiltration through green infrastructure.
Support Coastal Resilience: Evaluate coastal impacts and review applicable adaptation strategies.
Engage Stakeholders: Provide feedback opportunities to agencies having jurisdiction and environmental stewardship organizations.
Feasibility Study
The San Gabriel River Trash Mitigation Feasibility Study, initiated by the City of Seal Beach, aims to identify strategic, effective, and environmentally sound solutions to reduce trash loads entering the San Gabriel River and the Pacific Ocean.
The primary Tasks associated with the Feasibility Study are as follows:
1. Assessment and Data Collection
2. Technology Research and Impacts
3. Estimate Costs and Identify External Funding
4. Stakeholder Engagement and Industry Outreach
5. Alternatives Analyses and Report Development
6. Project Management
The Feasibility Study is intended to serve as a decision-support tool to guide local and regional agencies in identifying, assessing, and prioritizing viable trash mitigation measures that align with regulatory compliance objectives and long-term storm water quality goals.
News
2/29/2024: Orange County Register - San Gabriel Funding Boost for Seal Beach
11/17/2025: Orange County Register - Weekend Rain Dumps Trash on Seal Beach. County Explores Solutions
11/17/2025: KTLA 5 Morning News - Efforts underway to prevent trash in local streams from reaching ocean
1/16/2026: Orange County Register - Seal Beach Seeks Partnerships to Reduce San Gabriel River Trash
3/25/2026: Press Release from City of Seal Beach - City of Seal Beach Secures Over $2 Million on Funding
5/13/2026: Press Release from City of Seal Beach - City of Seal Beach and Regional Stakeholders Sign Agreement with The Ocean Cleanup
5/14/2026: The Orange County Register - San Gabriel River, Will Get Trash Interceptors to Combat Ocean and Beach Pollution
5/15/2026: Los Angeles Times - L.A.’s Ultra-Urban Rivers Wash Tons of Trash Out to Sea
FAQs
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Calendar Year 2021:
Approximately 330 tons of trash were collected—enough to fill nearly 65 garbage trucks.Calendar Year 2022:
Crews removed around 302 tons of debris, equivalent to roughly 60 garbage trucks of waste.Calendar Year 2023:
The total climbed to 380 tons, filling about 75 garbage trucks.Calendar Year 2024:
More than 400 tons were collected—exceeding previous years and showing that trash continues to be a growing concern for the community and the environment.
While these numbers are staggering, they reflect only the reported data. Additional untracked waste continues to wash in from upstream sources and ocean currents. Each ton collected represents a significant effort by Seal Beach Public Works to keep the community clean, protect marine life, and preserve the natural beauty of our coastline.
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A watershed is an area of land where all rainfall and stormwater drain into a common outlet, such as a river, creek, or the ocean. Everything that happens within that watershed—whether it’s littering, construction runoff, or pollutants washed from streets—eventually travels downstream. For Seal Beach, this means that much of the debris and pollution from inland communities makes its way through the San Gabriel River and Coyote Creek, ultimately emptying into the Pacific Ocean right along our coastline.
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The County of Orange endeavors to help improve quality and experience at public beaches for Orange County residents and supported this initiative through the transmittal of $525,000 to cover costs associated with the initial Study, project management and stakeholder coordination, and near-term beach maintenance activities. The City of Seal Beach City Council authorized the transfer of the identified funds as the receiving agency on March 25, 2024, and has been performing applicable activities to execute targeted services, including public procurement actions and oversight of external resources used to effectuate the efforts as outlined above. Accordingly, the City of Seal Beach has purchased the beach trash rake equipment and is administering the Study within the assigned budget.
The City and the Working Group continue to identify and make application for external funds as available.
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March 2024 to late 2025.
Any priortized projects recommended from the study will have their own timeframe, development, design, and implementation.
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If you want to clean the beach at your convenience, you can do it on your own by following the guidelines from the California Coastal Commission.
Or, contact a local entity:
Comments/Inquiries
If you prefer to contact us directly, please email sgrcleanup@sealbeachca.gov.