Ballona Wetlands: Trash Interceptor Project Update

The Ocean Clean trash interceptor pilot project has been humming along in the lower tidal channel of Ballona Creek for a few weeks. It arrived a couple of months behind schedule. Overseen by L.A. County Department of Public Works, the interceptor is designed to remove floating trash from the creek when rainfall runoff flows to the sea. Problem is, no such runoff has occurred since installation and significant rainfall runoff is unlikely until January. We’ll have a better gauge of effectiveness in the spring, after the creek carries a few winter rain flood flows.

One of the public objections to the interceptor project was its potential visual impact. I fished the jetty this morning and snapped a few photos.

Visual resources are a required element of every major project environmental analysis in California. There are some guidelines for determining what makes a visual impact “significant”, but often the determination is a reasoned judgment call. See for yourself.

The photo below shows the interceptor as seen from the adjacent south jetty. My first reaction was they should have painted it in camouflage grays and blues.

In any case, the machine is obvious if you look towards it.

The photo above is the view walking seaward on the jetty from the creek bridge. Again, the machine is obvious, but from a distance appears to be a large barge, not unusual for the marina area environment.

Notice the several concrete pads with railings on top of the jetty. These are anchorages for the interceptor. As one who walks the bumpy jetty for fishing, these smooth pads do make my walk less trip-prone.

Above: One of the anchorage pads built for the interceptor.

The picture below is the view from my fishing spot at the seaward end of the jetty. The interceptor is much less obvious from this distance, and also because the stern doesn’t sport bright white paint like the bow.

Pictures may be worth a thousand words, but they never represent reality like seeing something in person. So, go down to the jetty and see the interceptor for yourself.

Fishing was unproductive for me this day, but very good for the dolphins and harbor seals. Dense schools of anchovy were visible next to the jetty rocks. Cold La Nina waters are the reason.

Author's note on affiliations:

Dr. David W. Kay served on the Board of Directors of the non-profit Friends of Ballona Wetlands from 2007 until 2015, and served as Board President in 2012-13. He presently serves on the Board of Ballona Discovery Park.

David was employed by Southern California Edison Company for 38 years, exclusively in the company's environmental services organizations. His many responsibilities included restoration of the 440-acre San Dieguito Wetlands near Del Mar. He retired in 2022 as Senior Manager for Project Environmental Licensing at the company.

Dr. Kay is a staunch advocate for the State of California's Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project.

See Dr. Kay's Patch contributor profile here