Volunteers Remove 100,000th Pound of Trash from the San Diego River

Major milestone for the San Diego River Park Foundation's clean-up efforts

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May 21, 2016, 03:00 ET

SAN DIEGO, May 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, more than 100 volunteers from the San Diego River Park Foundation and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) worked together to clear trash from a stretch of the San Diego River in Mission Valley near Qualcomm Stadium. In less than six months, San Diego River Park Foundation volunteers removed more than 100,000 pounds of trash from the river.

The focal point of the massive clean-up was a highly polluted portion of the San Diego River that runs between I-805 and I-15 in Mission Valley, located next to the San Diego River Garden. According to surveying done by the San Diego River Park Foundation in April, this 3-mile section of the river contains more than 20 percent of all the trash currently polluting the entire river.

"Most San Diegans know where Qualcomm Stadium is," explained San Diego River Park Foundation Executive Director Rob Hutsel. "But many don't know that our historic San Diego River runs along it. Unfortunately, this section of our river needs attention and we are grateful to have the support of volunteers and SDG&E in our efforts to achieve a trash-free San Diego River. As we celebrate reaching an important milestone of 100,000 pounds of trash removed in 2016, we know our work is far from over."

More than 100 volunteers worked to remove debris at Saturday's milestone event, including SDG&E Director of Environmental Services, Scott Pearson. "As San Diego's energy company, we're proud to support the efforts of the San Diego River Park Foundation to preserve the region's resources and habitats so they can benefit and be enjoyed by future generations. I have an enormous amount of pride as I see our employees spend many Saturdays to volunteer at events like this that help to improve our community for future generations," said Pearson.

The "Clean & Green River Clean Up" is part of the San Diego River Park Foundation's annual River Days celebration, sponsored in part by SDG&E. The mission of River Days is to engage the community in exploring and celebrating the San Diego River. In coordination with 31 partner organizations, 43 free events were planned from Santa Ysabel to Ocean Beach from May 14 through May 22, including volunteer opportunities, hikes, bike rides, festivals, river clean-ups, educational tours and much more. Over 4,000 people will participate in River Days.

To volunteer or learn more about other River Days events, visit SDRiverDays.org

About The San Diego River Park Foundation
The San Diego River Park Foundation's mission is to engage people to work toward a better future for the historic San Diego River and the creation of a 52 mile river parkway from the mountains to the ocean. The River Park Foundation is a non-profit community-based organization founded in 2001. Visit sandiegoriver.org for more information.

About San Diego Gas & Electric
SDG&E is an innovative San Diego-based energy company that provides safe, reliable, clean energy to better the lives of the people it serves in San Diego and southern Orange counties. More than 4,300 employees work to provide the most reliable and clean energy in the West. The company has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for leadership in addressing climate change, was the first to meet California's goal of delivering 33 percent of energy from renewable sources, has fueled the adoption of electric vehicles and energy efficiency through unique customer programs, and supports more than 600 non-profit partners. SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego. For more information visit sdge.com/newsroom or connect with SDG&E on Twitter (@SDGE), Instagram (@SDGE) and Facebook.