Water Quality: Environmental Cleanup Program
Every day, more than 70 million gallons of oily pollution, litter, and dirty contamination washes off streets, roads and freeways and pours onto Orange County waterways and beaches. When it rains, the transportation-generated pollution increases tenfold, contributing to the increasing number of beach closures and environmental hazards along the Orange County coast.

Prior to allocation of funds for freeway, street and transit projects, two percent of gross revenues from the Renewed Measure M Transportation Investment Plan is set aside to protect Orange County beaches from transportation-generated pollution (sometimes called “urban runoff”) and improving ocean water quality.

Countywide Competitive Program
Measure M Environmental Cleanup funds will be used on a countywide, competitive basis to meet federal Clean Water Act standards for controlling transportation-generated pollution by funding nationally recognized Best Management Practices, such as catch basins with state-of-the-art biofiltration systems; or special roadside landscaping systems called bioswales that filter oil runoff from streets, roads and freeways.

The environmental cleanup program is designed to supplement, not supplant, existing transportation related water quality programs. This clean-up program must improve, and not replace, existing pollution reduction efforts by cities, the county, and special districts. Funds will be awarded to the highest priority programs that improve water quality, keep our beaches and streets clean, and reduce transportation-generated pollution along Orange County’s scenic coastline.