The 8th annual World Environment Day at Lake Berryessa Cleanup is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 3 at Markley Cove Resort located approximately 12 miles west of Winters. In an effort the improve the water quality and functionality of Lake Berryessa, Solano and Napa County residents are invited to help clear trash and recyclables from the lake and shoreline and sort them for proper disposal into recycling bins or the landfill. After the event ends at 12 p.m., participants will be provided a free sandwich lunch. Those volunteers who pre-register for the cleanup by May 27 will receive a free World Environment Day shirt to commemorate the event. Volunteers can register at solanorcd.org.
Lake Berryessa is a recreational hot spot attracting boaters, anglers, hikers, campers and picnickers from throughout California and beyond. Significantly for a half-million Solano County residents, the water stored at Lake Berryessa is their drinking water and is considered one of the top drinking water sources in the state. The Jelly Belly Factory and Anheuser-Busch both chose to locate production plants within Solano County to have access to Lake Berryessa’s water, and the same water source is also used for irrigating Solano County crops and maintaining livestock – all of which are major economic contributors to the region.
“Lake Berryessa is a beautiful and precious resource for Solano and Napa counties, but it isn’t exempt from the activities that occur there,” shared Marianne Butler, Lake Berryessa Watershed Partnership Coordinator with the Solano Resource Conservation District (Solano RCD). “Much of the trash picked up is convenience food packaging and bottles and cans. Not only do these items degrade water quality and interrupt the function of a reservoir such as this, but they are a hazard for boaters and recreational users of Lake Berryessa. We hope you will join us to improve a place that is so important to so many people.”
World Environment Day started in 1972 to build global awareness of the environment, encourage attention of the need to protect our planet, and support individual and community projects. Similar to this year’s Earth Day theme, “Stop Plastic Pollution,” World Environment Day 2018 seeks to influence change in reducing single use plastics, improving waste management, reducing micro-plastics, and promoting research into plastic alternatives.
Residents, service groups, youth groups and others are invited to join the cleanup. Requests for additional information and registration can be directed to Marianne Butler at Marianne.Butler@solanorcd.org.
The Lake Berryessa Watershed Partnership sponsors the World Environment Day Lake Berryessa Cleanup, with funding from Anheuser-Busch/The River Network, Solano County Water Agency and Solano County and its City Jurisdictions. The Bureau of Reclamation, infuser Busch Brewery in Fairfield and Solano Resource Conservation District organize the cleanup, and Markley Cove Resort hauls the collected debris for proper disposal and provides the post-event picnic. More information can be obtained at solanorcd.org.
