Newport Beach Officials Break Ground On New Trash Interceptor Project

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — Newport Beach city officials have broken ground on a new system to halt trash from polluting Newport Bay, Newport Harbor, and area beaches, they reported this month.

On Sept. 15, Newport Beach's city council members gathered for a ceremonial groundbreaking of the Newport Bay Trash Interceptor. The large, futuristic-looking rendering of the Trash Interceptor shows how the solar-powered trash collector will collect floating trash before it enters the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve and area beaches and bays.

According to a recent news release, the $5.5 million system will be built in the San Diego Creek, about 800 feet upstream from the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve.

"It is expected to capture 80 percent of the floating trash and debris from the San Diego Creek. Depending on the amount of rainfall, between 100 and 500 tons of trash reaches the Upper Newport Bay via San Diego Creek every year," the release stated.

Brea-based Jilk Heavy Construction, Inc. was selected by the city council as the builder of the system in July. According to the council, it will take just over a year to complete for the price of $3.9 million, with an expected operation date of December 2024.

"The Trash Interceptor, modeled after a similar project in the Baltimore Harbor, will sit on a floating platform that rises and falls with the tide. The platform will be secured to the creek bottom by guide piles. The platform will hold a 14-foot wheel that spins using power from the river current or solar panels to move a conveyor belt," the release stated.

The Trash Interceptor will supplement current City trash-reduction efforts. More information on the system was available on the city's website.

Registrations and locations were available on www.CoastKeeper.org.