Measure M program cleans up transportation-related pollution from waterways
ORANGE – The Orange County Transportation Authority was honored Tuesday for its innovative Measure M program to improve water quality across Orange County.
The award comes from the California Stormwater Quality Association, the state’s authority on stormwater management, recognized nationally for its technical contributions to stormwater management and for its leadership role in setting policies on such issues.
The association honored OCTA for its Measure M2 Environmental Cleanup Program. The program uses funds from Measure M, the county’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements re-approved by voters in 2006, to clean transportation-related pollutants from the county’s waterways.
“It’s an honor for OCTA to be recognized by industry leaders for the work we are doing to protect the environment and, in particular, our waterways,” said OCTA Chairman Shawn Nelson, also the chairman of the county’s Board of Supervisors. “This reaffirms that we are using transportation funds for the most good, preserving our resources as we expand our freeways and other transportation systems to improve quality of life.”
The award, for Outstanding Stormwater Implementation Program in California, recognizes OCTA for best management practices. It was presented at the association’s 10th annual conference at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Garden Grove.
Through Measure M, OCTA already has allocated more than $36 million countywide to improve water quality. Cities and the county compete for funds by submitting proposals to a 14-member committee that rates the proposals and makes recommendations to the OCTA board for funding.
Water-quality projects have included a litter-removal project in Newport Beach, installation of catch basin screens in Tustin and a transportation-runoff-abatement project in Mission Viejo, among many others throughout the county.
OCTA is expected to award approximately $300 million for water-quality projects over the 30-year life of Measure M.
For more information on the Measure M water quality program, visit octa.net/water.
