Preventing Pollution is Patriotic

July 4th is one of the most popular beach days of the year. Officials estimate that more than 1 million people visit LA County beaches to enjoy the water and the fireworks displays that light up Santa Monica Bay on Independence Day. If you plan on spending anytime at one of our local beaches over the holiday, please remember to put your litter in trash cans or, even better, take it with you and dispose of it back home.

> Once the festivities are over, why not declare your “dependence” on clean water and take part in a beach clean-up. Surfrider will host a beach clean-up on July 5 at Malibu Beach. It’s a great opportunity to snag any of the trash left on the beach from the parties that happened the night before!

> Towards the end of the month you’ll have another chance to feel the sand between your toes. Heal the Bay’s Nothin’ But Sand Beach Clean-Up takes place on July 21 at Playa del Rey’s Toes Beach.

> With May gray and June gloom officially over, now is a great time to spend some time along the coast. The Friends of Ballona Wetlands offer monthly tours of their salt and freshwater marshes. They will also host an open house at the salt marsh/dunes on July 14. It’s a great opportunity to walk the trails and learn more about the Ballona Wetlands.

> Here in Los Angeles, the other big July event takes place in Echo Park. The 34^th Annual Lotus Festival will take place on July 14 – 15. Because of the Proposition O-funded rehabilitation effort that is currently in progress at Echo Park Lake, this year’s Lotus Festival will take place in the parking lots between Echo Park Avenue and Lemoyne, just south of Sunset Blvd. As the restoration of Echo Park Lake wraps up next spring, look for the Lotus Festival to blossom again at the lake in July 2013!

For a full listing of stormwater friendly events happening in LA this month, please visit our calendar. If you have an event you would like to include on our calendar, please e-mail us at lastormwater@lacity.org.

Photos courtesy of PS-OV-ART and karlo.