County plan to keep trash from flowing to Bolsa Chica wetlands gets Huntington panel’s OK

The Huntington Beach Planning Commission voted Tuesday to allow Orange County to move forward with a plan to install a debris collection system in a flood channel in an effort to prevent trash from polluting the Bolsa Chica wetlands and Pacific Ocean.

The commission unanimously affirmed the project’s conformity with the city general plan, which identifies local goals, objectives and policies.

The proposed debris collection system would be a floating containment boom attached to the sides of the East Garden Grove Wintersburg Channel, allowing it to filter out litter as water passes through.

The Orange County Flood Control District needed the Planning Commission’s authorization since the boom would be on city land.

It would be installed on the north side of Warner Avenue between Goldenwest and Gothard streets, according to a city staff report.

The Wintersburg channel carries runoff from cities including Anaheim, Garden Grove and Santa Ana.

Trash and other pollutants enter the channel and can travel to the ocean or the wetlands if not filtered out, the staff report states. The boom is a “low impact” way to trap trash, the report says.

County staff will monitor the trash collection and remove trash if it builds up, the report says.

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