Residents worry about litter along Los Gatos Creek

Debris of the pandemic — masks, gloves — find way into bay, other waterways

The COVID-19 pandemic notably led to litter problems throughout the state, with masks, gloves and other debris finding their way into the San Francisco Bay and other waterways. Los Gatos Creek, officials say, is no exception.

The Los Gatos Creek Trail runs nearly 10 miles through Santa Clara County, starting in Los Gatos and winding its way all the way to San Jose. Because of its

reach, many different municipal agencies share responsibility for different parts of the trail.

Some residents have recently raised the alarm about trash and debris along the Los Gatos Creek Trail, particularly one stretch in the city of Campbell’s jurisdiction. One resident, Mark Fisher, reported a major uptick in the amount of trash along the trail in the last four or five years.

Some debris is particularly concerning: He said he recently came across bullet casings while walking along the trail.

Fisher, a teacher at Prospect High School in Saratoga, said he’s been using the creek trail for more than 40 years. He said he was walking along the trail recently and stopped on a pedestrian bridge to watch some turtles lazing in the water. He struck up

with a conversation with a family passing by, who said they’d recently seen a beaver in the water.

“I’ve seen a great blue heron out in the creek,” Fisher said. “There’s turtles down there. I had a student who caught a small-mouth bass further up the creek. But now it is just falling apart.”

Officials from the Campbell Public Works Department and the West Valley Clean Water Authority provided a written statement to this publication when asked about the effects of trash on the Los Gatos Creek.

From an ecological perspective, officials say, the presence of litter near the waterways can immediately affect wildlife. The Los Gatos Creek is home to steelhead trout and chinook salmon, and trash can make it more difficult for them to breed, decreasing the population.

Fish and birds also often eat trash, mistaking it for food, and can die as a result.

Native plants, too, feel the strain of trash pollution. The willows and elderberries along the trail struggle to grow when trash overtakes their environment, officials say.

“Trash degrades natural habitats, harms fish and wildlife, and pollutes recreational fishing and boating areas,” officials wrote. “Since local creeks eventually flow to the San Francisco Bay and coastal areas, the impact of trash is widespread.”

The city of Campbell hosts multiple volunteer cleanup events throughout the year specifically dedicated to the Los Gatos Creek Trail. In addition to these events, city staff keep a close eye on the trail and conduct ad hoc cleanups when areas become overrun with trash and debris.

Officials say they also work to make sure homeless encampments along the creek trail don’t produce excess waste. They said while the COVID-19 pandemic restricted encampment cleanup efforts last year, city staff have completed three dedicated cleanups since October 2020. According to staff, they removed six tons of trash from the trail.

Officials note it’s important to remember that trash and debris come from a variety of sources, including pedestrians, illegal dumping, trucks and simple mismanagement of household trash.

The city of Campbell and the West Valley Clean Water Program also implemented new preventative measures, like increased signage and more trash and recycling bins along the trail, in 2020.