An effort to clean up homeless camps along a Central Coast river is going to mean the removal of more than 40,000 pounds of garbage.
The cleanup is taking place along the Santa Maria River near Highway 101.
A half dozen agencies are working together on the project. Authorities notified around three dozen people living in the riverbed area that they’d have to leave. They were given information on available shelters, and food.
The two-day cleanup effort which is finishing Friday is focused on the area of the riverbed just east of Highway 101. The idea is to clean up the river, and riverbed area, as well as to reduce the threat of accidental brush fires. After the debris is removed, vegetation will be trimmed on about 240 acres of land.
A clothing company called “United By Blue” donated $10,000 as part of its efforts to support waterway cleanup projects.