Port of San Diego Tenants to “Clean Sweep” Chula Vista Nature Center

Thursday, 08 October 2009
Contact: Marguerite Elicone (619) 686-6222

Drive onto the quiet, dirt road that leads into the Chula Vista Nature Center and you enter a world that is calm and serene. Clusters of sea dahlias, coast sagebrush and other plants native to the bay front cover the softly rolling dunes that lead down to the shoreline. A snowy egret flies ahead to join other seabirds in the marshland. The water of San Diego Bay appears placid in this area that is mostly designated for wildlife. However, there are a few things that seem out of place.

A large rectangular box of concrete, covered with mollusk shells, lies on the beach. Although it looks like an ancient crypt from a long forgotten graveyard, it is actually a section of a pier that broke off somewhere else in the bay and drifted with the tide. Large pilings, chunks of concrete, pier bumpers and tires are also spread out amongst the area, marring its natural beauty.

The San Diego Port Tenants Association, Northrup Grumman Shipbuilding/Continental Maritime, the Port of San Diego, the US Navy and other businesses are teaming up to remove the debris from the area in a small-scale version of Operation Clean Sweep.

Operation Clean Sweep, which was held on August 29 this year, cleaned up almost 12 tons of trash from around San Diego Bay. The Chula Vista Nature Center was not included in the large clean sweep event, since most of its surroundings are designated as a protected area.

Because only a small number of people are allowed on the area at a time, the "mini" Operation Clean Sweep on December 12 will not be calling on members of the public to help out. Volunteers from the organizations putting on the event will be donating time and equipment to get the debris out of the area.

In 2000, a similar clean up event was conducted by many of the Port’s shipbuilding and industrial tenants. It took nearly a day’s work to get rid of all the debris that was found back then.

The mini Operation Clean Sweep organizers are confident that this year’s effort will get rid of almost everything that has washed along the shore near the Chula Vista Nature Center and that the area will remain a haven for seabirds, native plants and nature lovers.

The Port of San Diego has several programs to help improve the health of San Diego Bay and the tidelands. In 2006, an environmental fund was created to pay for projects that go beyond state and federal regulations. Since then, $5.9 million has been allocated for about 50 projects, most of which have been completed.

These include enhancing fish habitats in San Diego Bay, restoring the J Street salt marsh in Chula Vista and constructing osprey nesting platforms throughout the Port tidelands. Last year, the Port kicked off its Green Port Program. The program spells out how the Port can minimize its impact on the environment while still continuing its day-to-day operations.

Twenty-three Green Port projects are in place, including the clean truck program, which offered grant funding from the state and matching funds from the Port to replace or retrofit older model trucks to reduce harmful emissions. In addition, the Port started the voluntary vessel speed reduction program, in which cargo and cruise vessel operators are asked to reduce speeds while traveling in and near San Diego’s harbor. Green Port projects focus on six areas – water, energy, air, waste management, sustainable development and sustainable business practices.