Campaign to Curb Polluted Urban Runoff Is Launched

Flick a cigarette onto the street in Pacoima and it could end up bobbing near the shore at Santa Monica Beach. Pour chemicals on the ground in Sylmar and a swimmer at Venice Beach may end up with a mouthful of them.

Storm drains are designed to prevent streets from flooding, but they also are the conduits for pollutants from inland cities to the beaches.

The American Oceans Campaign is trying to address the problem with a new program called “The Beach Begins in Your Backyard” that the environmental group launched at a news conference Tuesday on Santa Monica Pier.

Working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Ocean Campaign hopes to bring more national attention to the problem of polluted urban runoff, said Joan Hartmann, senior policy counsel for the American Oceans Campaign.

“We want to do on the national level what Heal the Bay has done for Santa Monica Bay,” said Hartmann.

The environmental group Heal the Bay has been instrumental in focusing local attention and resources on reducing storm drain runoff that flows into Santa Monica Bay. Mark Gold, executive director of Heal the Bay, called the Oceans Campaign’s program a “common sense” approach.

“It’s a much-needed national effort to attempt to educate the public that literally what they do around their house could have a tremendous impact on the nation’s precious coastal resources,” Gold said.

The program consists of a public service announcement--narrated by actor Ted Danson, who is president of the American Oceans Campaign--that will be circulated to television stations. The Oceans Campaign also plans to develop an educational program that schools and government agencies can use to help spread the message.