News, Restaurant, Health, Santa Monica

Local Restaurants Address Stormwater Pollution Into Santa Monica Bay

Posted Jul. 11, 2013, 8:46 am

Brenton Garen / Editor-in-Chief

The Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission’s (SMBRC) Clean Bay Restaurant Certification Program (CBRP) has announced the certification -- or equally important recertification -- of hundreds of restaurants across the cities of Santa Monica, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Rancho Palos Verdes, and Redondo Beach.

The cities and SMBRC work in collaboration to inspect and certify that the restaurants included have achieved a 100 percent score on the program’s checklist of standards for stormwater runoff reduction, going above and beyond local stormwater regulations.

From oceanside restaurants to mall eateries, certified Clean Bay restaurants must have a full-scale recycling program, properly divert storm water runoff of daily maintenance practices, implement exterior dry sweeping, and follow any additional city restrictions such as be Styrofoam-free or adhere to plastic bag bans, among many other requirements.

About 460 restaurants -- almost 40 in Santa Monica -- are currently certified in the cities noted above, as well as Malibu and Torrance. A list of each city’s restaurants involved is on the Program’s webpage: http://www.santamonicabay.org/CleanRestaurants/cleanrestaurants.html.

Stormwater pollution poses a serious problem for Santa Monica Bay -- which stretches from the LA-Ventura county line in the north to the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the south -- and local beaches, and is a major source of coastal pollution in Southern California. 

The Bay and its coastline are critical to the regional economy and local ecology, and are important recreational and cultural resources for the 2nd most populous region in the U.S.

Extended through July 31, the SMBRC is also running a Clean Bay Eats contest.

By simply checking in at a favorite certified restaurant, and sharing a photo/experience on the “Santa Monica Bay Restoration Foundation” Facebook page along with the phrase #CleanBayEats, contestants can win a prize.

To find out how you can help make your local beaches safe and clean, please contact the SMBRC at 213.576.6645.