The first heavy rain of the season occurred in late December flushing out all the trash that had accumulated in the 5,000-mile-long storm drain system. Urban runoff including animal waste and agricultural chemicals, flowed straight into the ocean creating a potentially dangerous situation for avid ocean swimmers and beachgoers. If you were to have walked along the beach that morning you would have seen our beautiful beach littered with plastic bottles, cigarette butts, wrappers, and miscellaneous plastic shards. A reminder not of the beautiful planet we live on but of how dangerous the chemicals we use can be and how close to home we see the effects of plastic pollution. In the past, Team Marine members have gone to the beach during and after the first flush to capture footage and pick up the trash that was brought in. This year our advisor Mr. Kay went to the beach and captured the impact in the photos below.
