L.A.'s ultra-urban rivers wash tons of trash out to sea. There's a plan to change that before the Olympics

"In many stretches, you'd be hard-pressed to stroll along the banks of the San Gabriel or Los Angeles rivers without meeting abandoned water bottles, candy wrappers, golf balls, sad-looking teddy bears, even shopping carts."

"On the rare occasion when rain graces the semi-arid region, it sweeps all that debris into the coastal communities where they drain - and out into the Pacific Ocean, wreaking havoc on an ecosystem where fish, sea lions and surfers frolic."

"By the 2028 Olympics, a coalition of city, county, state and private partners hopes to change that by deploying trash-intercepting devices in the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers, officials announced Wednesday. The plan is to prevent hundreds of tons of garbage from getting to the ocean."

"“The problem always seemed to be too overwhelming and solutions out of reach,” he said. “I kind of felt like Don Quixote.” Then, about three years ago, he read an article about the Ocean Cleanup, a Netherlands-based nonprofit that develops and deploys trash interceptors around the world."

Rivers in Los Angeles County carry frequent litter along their banks, including bottles, wrappers, toys, and shopping carts. When rain occurs, debris is swept downstream into coastal communities and then out to the Pacific Ocean. The resulting pollution harms marine ecosystems that support fish, sea lions, and surfers. By the 2028 Olympics, a coalition of city, county, state, and private partners plans to deploy trash-intercepting devices in the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers. The goal is to stop hundreds of tons of garbage from reaching the ocean. A local councilmember became involved after learning about trash interceptors used elsewhere and helped organize officials and feasibility work through a river working group.

Read at Los Angeles Times