NAF El Centro sailors partner with IID for wetlands clean-up
IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) said a group of around 20 sailors from Naval Air Facility El Centro helped the Water Department clean up the New River Wetlands.
The sailors led by Petty Officer Second Class Randon Bradfield volunteered their time to remove debris from the wetlands site.
IID said the team of sailors reached out to them and explained how they enjoy using the wetlands area for several recreational activities and wanted to help.
“They wanted to offer their services,” Steve Charlton, senior program manager for the IID Water Department, explained, “and we are quite pleased to be able to get their time, effort and dedication to make a difference at the site, which now looks great.”
IID said Bradfield made a presentation before the Board of Directors and discussed how his team was interested in helping out. “This is kind of a big thing for us...We were all really just grateful to get out and help the community.”
“Working alongside these community-conscious volunteers is genuinely appreciated,” said IID Director Karin Eugenio. “Collectively, a substantial amount of trash and debris was removed from the Wetlands, and it is now looking so much better. This is a great example of environmental stewardship and agencies working with each other for the common good,” she added. “I want to thank everyone involved for their time and efforts.”
IID said the New River Wetlands consists of a 48-acre parcel with 23 wet acres and was built to help treat drain water that outlets into the New River and then flows to the Salton Sea.
Managed by the Imperial Irrigation District, these wetlands are effective in reducing nitrogen, phosphorous, fecal coliform, and suspended sediment.
It has also been a research site for a Bureau of Reclamation-funded monitoring program, California pesticide regulation sampling, and studies regarding viruses, selenium, and other ecological factors, said IID.
The area is also popular for stop by tourists and those who like to fish and hunt. It has also hosted school field trips where ducks have been released into the wetlands.
