On Saturday the RHA held its first Adopt-A-Channel Cleanup event and focused on the Rossmoor Stormwater Channel. For our inaugural event we planned for a small group from the Board of Directors to participate. This group allowed us to get a good feel for the channel, document the conditions, what to expect in the way of cleanup and how to manage future channel cleanup events.
Overall, the day was a success as we collected 87 pounds of mostly broken glass, wire, plastics, cables, zip ties and other trash items. And we got to see a mother duck with her three ducklings in tow happily patrolling a segment of the channel along with some raccoon tracks, the typical crows and other birds.
Our impression is that overall, H2OC and their supporting OC Public Works teams continue to do a good job of maintaining the channels and keeping them clear of most debris so the water can safely flow out of Rossmoor and toward Seal Beach. During the 3.5 hours project in the Rossmoor Stormwater Channel, we expected to find mosquitoes, yet surprisingly, this was not the case. This was confirmed by the lack of bites we received. It appears that OC Mosquito and Vector Control continues to do a good job of keeping the channel mosquito population under control.
There are sections of the channel that have a prevalence of what is called “nuisance algae” blooms. These large patches of green build up along the surface of the water, especially where the channels run under the streets as the channels tend to narrow at these points. The algae experience explosive growth as the days get warmer and the rich nutrient runoff water from our yards combine. The nuisance algae feed on the nitrogen and phosphorus from the fertilizers, detergents, and pet waste that make their way into the gutters in front of our homes and ultimately end up in our stormwater channels. Unfortunately, when the algae blooms die off, they can release an unpleasant odor in the surrounding area. While not pleasant, it is not harmful to people or pets. Just one more reason to not over fertilize your plants and lawns and work to reduce and eliminate any water runoff from your property.
One of the biggest challenges the County Stormwater group faces in keeping our channels clean and flowing is the very limited “run” or slope these channels have. The flatness of the channels prevents good water flow, and any small impediment can create water stoppage and pooling.
Adopt-A-Channel Program
As we have mentioned previously, the RHA started the Adopt-A-Channel application process nearly two years ago as a way to both learn more about our stormwater channels and their part in sustainability, and to help do our part to keep plastic, glass and other trash items out of our waterways and oceans which benefits all of us.
Interested in Helping Out?
We will be scheduling another cleanup later in the year and this time focus on the Kempton Channel. If you are interested in participating in a future cleanup project, please contact us via our contact page (OurRossmoor.com/contact)
4 Responses
My husband and I would be extremely interested in helping the Kempton channel especially near Kempton park.
Thanks Cindy.
Greatly appreciate you stepping up to lend a hand.
We will get in touch with you via email.
The channel under Shakespeare between Harrisburg and Montecito has been backed up and moss-fiiled for 5 years. Why can’t the County clean it up? I have called it in to the County but no success.
Hi David and thanks for letting us know.
Nuisance Algae blooms are difficult to control, especially with the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus that runs off our lawns and out of our gardens and into the stormwater channels.
If you can take some photos of the algae build up and then go to OurRossmoor.com/myoc which is a shortcut to the County’s My OC Services page.
Once there, select the “Trash/Debris/Vegetation” option, navigate to the Shakespeare overpass area where the photos were taken and select the area (“drop a pin”) on the map by double-clicking, click next and complete the rest of the requested information on the resulting page. Then the next page should allow you to attach (upload) a few photos of the issue.
I suggest that if you haven’t already, set up an account at My OC Services so that you can track this and your future submissions.
And then see what OC Public Works does. My experience has been that they are responsive and work to correct the issues that get reported. And like everything else, if you see something, say something. We have 20,000 eyes in Rossmoor every day, they have less than 50. It’s very likely we see stuff they can’t. It’s our job to point them to the issues when we see them.
Thanks again David!