Volunteers Clean Up Doheny Beach

If you want proof that Orange County’s storm run off ends up in the ocean, just pay a visit to Doheny State Beach after recent storms. Everything along the way — dead wood and debris from recent fires, road litter, fertilizers, oils, dog waste and myriad other nasty, bacteria laden items flow relentlessly downhill in a fast flowing stream that, in this case, eventually empties out the mouth of the San Juan Creek.

The Interpretive Society’s first clean up of 2019 could not have been better timed.

The Valentine’s Day storm deposited huge amounts of driftwood, bottles, plastics, cans and untold litter on the shores of the beleaguered beach.

Dozens of gloved volunteers, armed with bags provided by Orange County park rangers, spread out across the beach, threading through the wood strewn area carefully picking up human and natural trash.

It will likely be days before the filthy water, spreading a distinct dark brown bloom beyond the entrance to the Dana Point Harbor and miles down coast, will clear and Doheny Beach will be declared safe for human recreation.