Residents Urged To Attend 4th Annual Newport Harbor Underwater Cleanup

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — As a busy summer season begins to draw to a close, the 4th annual Newport Harbor Underwater Cleanup is making a return to Newport Beach.

The event is held by the Newport Harbor Underwater Cleanup in partnership with the City of Newport Beach and takes place on Saturday, Sept. 21, organizers said.

The program was originally launched in 2017 by Help Your Harbor's founders, former Newport Beach Mayor Marshall "Duffy" Duffield and local environmentalists Billy Dutton and Mark Ward.

According to organizers, the Newport Harbor Underwater Cleanup — alternatively called NHUC — hosted three years of sold-out cleanup events at the Balboa Bay Club before being put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The return of the program marks a new partnership with the City of Newport Beach, and a new setting as well. The event will take place at Marina Park, which will provide a larger venue to accommodate more people, organizers said.

"We're thrilled to expand this year's event at our new location," Co-founder of NHUC and Help Your Harbor Billy Dutton said. "The Newport Marina Park site allows for much greater community participation, with volunteers helping to clean up our harbor both above and below the water."

At the event, volunteer scuba divers and onshore volunteers will search Newport Harbor for trash, plastics and other pollutants. In the past years, volunteers were able to remove over 4,200 pounds of trash and single-use plastics from Newport Harbor.

The annual cleanup takes place at Newport Beach Marina Park, 1600 W. Balboa Blvd., and is a part of the broader International Coastal Cleanup Day celebration, organizers said.

For a run-down on the schedule, see below:

• 7 a.m. — Volunteer check-in, location assignments, hosted breakfast.
• 7:30 a.m. — Skippers report to assigned vessels.
• 8:15 a.m. — Mandatory volunteer safety meeting at the main stage.
• 9 a.m. — Volunteers, both above-water helpers and divers, deploy on cleanup vessels.
• 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. — Cleanup commences.
• 11:30 a.m. — Volunteer group photo.
• 11:30 a.m. — Raffle prizes, lunch and recognitions.

After the cleanup, residents can expect a special Coastal Cleanup Day Celebration:

• 12:15 p.m. — Barge with collected trash arrives off the shore of Marina Beach.
• 12:30 p.m. — Live music, food trucks and exhibitors.
• 2 p.m. — Mayor O'Neill to recognize efforts and introduce representatives.
• 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. — Live music.

Visit the NHUC's website to register as a volunteer.