Orange County Coastkeeper launches 20-year vision to protect the region’s water quality

Orange County Coastkeeper announced a 20-year visionary plan to align the organization with its water quality programs. The organization is calling this visionary plan “State of the Water,” and believes it is essential in making Orange County desirable and a great place in which to reside, work and recreate. For the last 22 years, Coastkeeper and its affiliate programs in the Inland Empire and Coachella Valley have worked to protect the region’s water resources so they are swimmable, drinkable and fishable for present and future generations.

Coastkeeper works collaboratively with regional stakeholders – including policy makers, businesses and community members – to defend waterways across Orange County, the Inland Empire and the Coachella Valley. It’s improving local water quality with innovative and effective programs in education, advocacy, enforcement, research, restoration and conservation.

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Courtesy of OC Coastkeeper

A diver in a Coastkeeper eelgrass restoration project in Upper Newport Bay, 2017

The “State of Your Water” plan was devised to involve the community in protecting water quality. Because protecting the region’s natural resources has been for the past 22 years, and will be for years to come, an ongoing and continuous process, it requires vigilance, expertise, strength as an organization and the capacity to use the tools of collaboration, advocacy and litigation to protect the region’s water resources. With the community’s support, the organization will continue to help the region thrive through the evolution of its programs.

“‘State of Your Water’ creates a proactive and aggressive agenda for Coastkeeper so we can continue to protect our water resources and make Orange County, and other Southern California regions, a paradise in which we reside, work and recreate,” said Garry Brown, Orange County Coastkeeper founder and president. “Our work is about restoring and preserving our communities’ integrity for our children, our future generations and all of us.”

Under “State of Your Water,” Coastkeeper hopes to expand its facilities to provide more education and specialized programs. The programmatic goals of this initiative are:

–To protect and promote water quality through research, education and advocacy.

–To restore the Santa Ana River and work toward a multi-use paradise for wildlife and for recreation.

–To significantly reduce trash in waterways, harbors and coastal waters through advocacy and collaboration with packaging manufacturers.

–To help the Inland Empire Waterkeeper and the Coachella Valley Waterkeeper better serve their communities through education, advocacy and enforcement.

–To establish an environmental law firm.

–To expand its professional staff to include community engagement and outreach.

To learn more about the “State of Your Water” goals, visit www.coastkeeper.org, or read the report here.