| Ongoing Advocacy
New! Snapshot Day 2008
Click
here for pictures and a report on our second Snapshot Day, supported
by Mr. Krick with students from La Sierra High School, and Ms. Hampton
and Mr. Pitruzzello with students from King High School!
Advocating for Water Quality
Part of our advocacy efforts includes serving as technical advisers
on several watershed-related task forces and working groups.
We advocate on behalf of water quality in the Inland Empire. We can help citizen activists focus and coordinate their own advocacy efforts.
Currently, we are helping to provide a stronger voice for local citizens expressing opposition to the Lake Elsinore Advanced Pump Storage project.
Inland Empire Waterkeeper Teaches Children Water Quality Sampling
 On Oct. 6, 2007, Inland Empire Waterkeeper commemorated World Water Monitoring Day by teaching more than 50 children how to test water quality. The hands-on educational event was part of Waterkeeper's co-sponsorship of the annual Santa Ana River Cleanup, which attracted approximately 400 volunteers.
Children tested water in the Santa Ana River at Market Street in Riverside for pH, temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen and electrical conductivity. The data they collected will go into a national water quality database.
Inland Empire Waterkeeper Helps Clean Up Inland Waterway
On October 28, 2006 a crew of 80 community volunteers cleaned up
34 TONS of garbage from an open space around Mill Creek near Prado
Wetlands in Chino Saturday, Oct. 28th. Volunteers, with the assistance
of three tractors, removed 34 tons of garbage, including a treadmill,
furniture, construction materials, a bathtub, and a recreational
boat. They also recovered 600 lbs of recyclables. The site, used
as an illegal dumping ground, drains rainwater from the area into
Mill Creek, which flows into the Santa Ana River, providing drinking
water for Orange County residents and habitat for native wildlife.
The Mill Creek area has long been used as a dumpsite by trespassers.
Previous attempts to thwart dumping have included installing a chain
link fence, but trespassers have knocked down the fences and the
dumping continues. This service project is designed to promote citizen
involvement in protecting local water supplies and provide information
about alternatives to dumping. Litter on the ground is not only
an eyesore, but it also invites people to add more.
“California Coastal Cleanup Day data tell us that most (between 60-80 percent) of the debris on our beaches and shorelines comes from inland sources, traveling through storm drains or creeks out to the beaches and ocean. Keeping garbage out of our environment not only benefits wildlife, but it keeps our outdoor areas suitable for clean water and recreation. Californians can reduce their impact throughout the year by taking responsibility to make sure all trash is securely placed where it belongs: in a trash can, recycling bin, or authorized hazardous waste dump.”
Inland Empire Waterkeeper promoted Proposition 84 for Clean Water, Parks, and Coastal Protection at the event. In addition to the Inland Empire Resource Conservation District, the cleanup was assisted and co-sponsored by the following organizations: REI, California Coastal Commission, Viramontes Express Inland Empire Waterkeeper, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Orange County Water District, San Bernardino County Regional Parks, Starbucks, BJ’s Restaurant and Brewery, the City of Chino, San Bernardino County, US Army Corps of Engineers, Waste Management of the Inland Empire, Inland Valley Humane Society, Henry’s Farmers Market of Chino Hills, the Regional Water Board, Santa Ana Watershed Association, Hands On Inland Empire the Chino High School Key Club, Chino High School Interact Club, and Rancho Cucamonga High School Key Club.
Plans are under way to install gates and create boulder and earthen
berms to discourage future dumping at Mill Creek.
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