Saturday, Oct. 22 was a good day for steelhead trout and San Pedro Creek.  

Terra Nova High School science students, volunteers from the Pacifica Beach Coalition, and the San Pedro Creek Watershed Coalition collected about 350 lbs. of litter from the San Pedro Creek flood plain and bike trail near the mouth of the creek. We've noted some of the larger items found below. 

Some of the debris collected might have been left there by visitors, but a good majority of it washed down when the creek flow was high, then remained in the grasses and bushes as the water receded.

Roger Macias and Ralph Larson of the San Pedro Creek Coalition spoke to the volunteers about the uniqueness of steelhead trout, which are different than salmon because they can come spawn, live in the creek for as long as they wish, then swim back to the ocean at their leisure. Two other species of fish also reside in the creek.

Macias and Larson inspected the creek from a convalescent home near it and discovered a water dam of brush, pallet, and litter caught on a downed tree log that blocked the passage of steelhead to or from the ocean. They were able to clear a small opening. On Monday, Pacifica Public Works Department employees cut the log and freed the blockage.   

Garbage - plastic gloves, food bags and discarded property - was found on Saturday. It may have originated in the convalescent home next to the creek. Management will be contacted so they are aware of the problem and can work to eliminate any further problems.   

Sadly, we found 65 cigarette filters under one bench at the start of the trail: a clear sign of a few smokers using the bench as a smoking station, then leaving their litter. Many of the volunteers declared picking up 35, 65, 40 or more filters on their quest for trash. In total, at least 1,000 cigarette filters were collected, mostly from the trail, but some in the creek, originating from streets upstream. This is not good, since 165 toxic chemicals, including arsenic, cadmium and acetone leech into the soil and creek from each filter. 

Some notable finds in the 300 lbs. of garbage and 50 lbs. of recycling collected from the trail and flood plain of San Pedro Creek from San Pedro Road to Highway 1:

• Approximately 30 balls (three baseballs, one nerf ball, two plastic bouncy balls, one basketball);
• Two tires, plus a small tire for a wheelbarrow or the like;
• An old, rusted and decaying desk with pencils, staples and rubber stamps still in it;
• A 3 ft. by 8 ft. piece of 1/2 in. plywood;
• A broken plastic chair.

The next scheduled cleanup for San Pedro Creek is Jan. 28, 2012. Everyone is invited to join in the efforts, and can help the creek on a daily basis by picking up litter on the streets that drain into the watershed. Most streets from Fassler Avenue to Montara Mountain flow to San Pedro creek through underground storm drains and tributaries.