17 Orange County Cities and the county will receive project funding
The Measure M Environmental Cleanup Program will provide $2.8 million for 18 projects across Orange County to improve overall water quality from transportation-generated pollution.
The Orange County Transportation Authority board recently approved funding for the projects through the Measure M Environmental Cleanup Program. The program is designed to remove the more visible forms of pollutants, such as litter and debris, which collect on the roadways and in the storm drains prior to being deposited in waterways and the ocean. These funds are available for Orange County local governments to purchase equipment and upgrades for existing catch basins and other related projects. Examples include screens, filters, and inserts for catch basins, as well as other devices designed to remove pollutants.
Projects fall into three categories:
- Automatic retractable screens to prevent debris from entering the storm drain system will be installed in 15 cities.
- Laguna Beach and Orange will be adding continuous deflective separators to divert runoff away from waterways and screen storm drain flows from trash and debris.
- A bio-infiltration project that allows pollutants in storm water to be captured before entering the drain system will be installed in Anaheim.
To date, nearly $9 million of Measure M funds have been granted to cities and the county for projects of this type.
Funding was awarded to projects in Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Cypress, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, La Habra, Lake Forest, La Palma, Mission Viejo, Orange, Placentia, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Westminster and the county of Orange.
A complete list of projects is attached.
Measure M, Orange County’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, was approved by voters in 2006 and is expected to bring in more than $15 billion through 2041 for upgrades to freeways, streets and transit projects, and to offset impacts to the environment.
