3rd ANNUAL NEWPORT HARBOR UNDERWATER CLEAN UP

Help Your Harbor, a coalition of community environmental groups along with hundreds of volunteers who participate in a variety of weekly beach and water clean-ups, will be at the 3rd Annual Newport Harbor Underwater Clean Up scheduled for Saturday, June 1 at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.

More than 250 scuba divers and above-water volunteers will canvas the Newport Harbor to collect trash, plastics and other water pollutants in a dedicated effort to keep the 25.2 miles of coastline, bay and harbor waterways pollution free. Last year, volunteers collected over 4,000 pounds of trash and plastics from Newport Harbor.

Volunteers will gather at the Balboa Bay Club lawn for a hosted breakfast and lunch, post-event party that includes a live band, raffle drawings, and an awards ceremony for the most unusual items.

 Some of the most interesting past finds included a holstered pistol, shopping carts, car engines, two woman’s purses (containing ID, cash and credit cards), Christmas trees, and an unopened champagne bottle with two flutes dubbed “the engagement gone wrong.” Of course, LOTS of single-use plastic items were collected, much of them being bottles and fishing line which is very hazardous to marine life.

The post-party starts at 11:30 a.m., and will feature the popular Phoenix-based Grateful Dead cover band – The Harvest – and is open to the public for a donation of $20. For event details and volunteer registration for both under-and-above water positions, visit nhunderwatercleanup.com.
Balboa Bay Resort is at 1221 West Coast Hwy. in Newport Beach.