Four So Cal Waterways Join EPA's Polluted List

California’s waterways have become much more polluted since 2006, a new report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency revealed.

 

The number of rivers, streams and lakes on the EPA’s polluted list increased 170 percent in five years.

 

Four newcomers to the list are in the Inland Empire.

 

The Santa Ana River, which stretches from the San Bernardino Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, is the largest watershed in Southern California, but two sections of the river are among the waterways listed by the EPA.

 

The sections of the Santa Ana River between Prado Dam and Mission Boulevard and from Seven Oaks dam up to the mountains headwaters made the list.

Connie Librenjak, the executive director of the environmental group Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful has an idea why.

“We would see batteries and tires and computers and sofas and refrigerators and all kinds of things in the river,” she said.

The California Water Resources Board found both stretches of the river polluted with lead and the upper regions of the waterway also polluted with copper.

States are required to submit pollution reports to the EPA and this year the board found 3 million acres of lakes, rivers and streams that are either not meeting clean water goals or are in need of a pollution cleanup plan.

Among the waterways new to the list are Temescal Creek near Lake Elsinore and Cucamonga Creek, east of Ontario International Airport.

The EPA cited lead and copper from discarded vehicle brake pads, and bacteria from leaking sewers and septic tanks as their main polluters.

“There’s movement through storm water and on a daily basis all of these things end up in the river,” said Alexis Strauss, a spokeswoman for the EPA.

“It’s so incredibly frustrating,” she added.

She noted the pollutants travel the length of the river and end up affecting coastlines and beaches.

Ten days ago, some 500 volunteers gathered at the Santa Ana River in Rubidoux for their annual watershed cleanup. They pulled four tons of refuse from the waterway.

“Everybody now is aware of what a serious problem this has been over the course of the years,” Librenjak said.

Her group organized the recent watershed cleanup and she said awareness is helping to improve the situation.

“Maybe they’ll think twice before depositing a hazardous material or throwing away their trash,” said Rachel Hamilton of the Inland Empire Waterkeeper.

Federal, state and local officials agreed that continuing education and enforcement are the only ways to really cleanup California’s waterways.

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