History

Phase I: The Pilot Program

In 2003, the Contra Costa County Watershed Program was awarded a Proposition 13 Grant from the State Water Resources Control Board and the California Bay-Delta Authority to implement a pollution prevention program that would serve marinas and recreational boaters in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The pilot program, called Keep the Delta Clean (KDC), was charged with developing ways to reduce the potential cumulative impacts of non-point source pollution that may be attributed to recreational boating and marina operations.

Through informational posters, outreach at boating events, volunteer Dockwalker support and free Boater Kits (containing clean boating information, a Delta map and other promotional items), the program spread the message about how, why and where to practice safe and environmentally-friendly boating habits. Contra Costa County also partnered with local marina operators to establish Marina Demonstration Sites where free marina-based environmental services (including three used oil collection centers and five oil absorbent exchange centers) were installed to provide convenient access to boaters and the local community.

The KDC program was implemented in Eastern Contra Costa County from May 2004 through March 2007 in partnership with local marina operators, the Contra Costa County Public Watershed Program, the California Department of Boating and Waterways, and the California Coastal Commission.

Phase I Marina Demonstration Sites:

Phase II: The Program Today

 

Put simply, water and boaters know no jurisdictional boundaries. With the proven success of the Eastern Contra Costa County pilot program, the proposal of an expanded, comprehensive regional pollution prevention effort drew broad support. The counties of Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano and Yolo, and the City of Stockton volunteered enthusiastic partnership with Contra Costa County. With all of these regions on board, plus the original partners of the California Coastal Commission and the Department of Boating and Waterways, the seeds for Phase II were planted. An ever-growing partnership of government, community and industry stakeholders sought to unify existing efforts and develop the Program to encompass the waterways of the entire Delta region.

In September 2006, Contra Costa County was awarded a Proposition 40 Grant from the State Water Resources Control Board to implement a second phase of the Keep the Delta Clean Program. The grant term for Phase II is December 2006 through September 2008. Now with widespread support, the direct knowledge gained from Phase I is ensuring effective and timely implementation of the Phase II expansion.

Phase II serves a growing population of over 170,400 registered boaters in the five main Delta counties. The KDC Program has expanded to include a project area covering the central and southern Delta waterways. View a Map of the Project Area (12.0MB, PDF)

The Phase II Program will install and promote marina-based pollution prevention infrastructure, including but not limited to a minimum of 50 pet waste stations, 50 recycling bins, 13 fishing line recycling centers, 10 cigarette butt bins and 10 informational kiosks. As of October 2007, 25 marinas have agreed to provide locations for and management of these environmental services provided by the Keep the Delta Clean Program.