A vast majority of the gunk collected by the city in Queensway Bay, from the Catalina Terminal to the Shoreline Marina, comes from the Los Angeles River in California. Starting as far north as the San Fernando Valley, Long Beach’s waters long have been plagued by the urban runoff from cities upstream.
In the last decade though, conditions have improved. The installation of a county controlled trash boom at the mouth of the Los Angeles River means that much of the trash trickling towards Long Beach is caught and collected.
Also in use are three trash skimmer boats which easily collect 193 tons of debris from the water monthly. The debris skimmer collects mattresses and couches from the water as well as smaller debris such as sticks, plastic cups, water bottles and Styrofoam.