Government: Valley Water expands cleaning trash program from homeless encampments
Move will double the number of cleanups
Photo courtesy Valley Water
Some of the volunteers and the trash they collected.
By Staff Reports
The Valley Water Board of Directors allocated additional resources to support greater service and coordination toward cleaning up trash, debris, and hazardous pollutants produced by encampments along waterways in Santa Clara County.
At the Aug. 22 meeting, the board approved two new staff positions, adding to Valley Water’s cleanup efforts countywide. The decision follows the board’s approval earlier this year of two new jobs dedicated to encampment cleanup operations and increased funding for related services and supplies.
“This investment in additional resources reflects Valley Water’s commitment to protecting the health of Santa Clara County’s creeks,” Chair John L. Varela said in a press release.
In the previous fiscal year (July 2022 — June 2023), Valley Water’s encampment cleanup crew removed more than 2.7 million pounds of trash, debris, and hazardous pollutants generated from encampments. The board’s recent actions to expand the level of such service will allow Valley Water to double the number of cleanups during the year.
Recently, the board also voted to support two programs that further enhance cleanliness along waterways. The Clean Camps, Clean Creeks Program will provide debit cards to unsheltered residents who maintain camps free of trash and debris or collect and bag trash accumulated on land owned or managed by Valley Water.
The Portable Toilet Facilities Program will administer the provision and servicing of portable toilets and wash stations at 20 critical locations along local creeks to reduce biowaste entering the waterways.
To help support these efforts, Valley Water was awarded a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency providing about $2.2 million to perform the cleanups and provide portable toilets on heavily impacted creeks. The grant also provides about $900,000 to address encampment-generated environmental impacts on Coyote Creek.