Coronado & San Diego Bay
From named skimmers at Coronado yacht clubs to a bay-wide program across multiple marinas, San Diego Bay showcases the Marina Trash Skimmer's impact at just 5 cents per day to operate.
The Challenge
San Diego Bay is one of Southern California's most treasured waterways, home to military installations, commercial shipping, recreational marinas, and vibrant coastal communities. Coronado, situated on a peninsula in the bay, is surrounded by water and deeply connected to the health of the bay ecosystem. Floating debris from urban runoff, boating activity, and wind-blown waste accumulates in marina basins, degrading water quality and threatening marine life.
Multiple marinas and yacht clubs across the bay each faced the same challenge: keeping their waters clean required constant manual effort that was expensive, inconsistent, and unable to operate around the clock. The community needed an automated, cost-effective solution that could work continuously with minimal maintenance and energy consumption.
The Solution
The Marina Trash Skimmer has been deployed at multiple locations across San Diego Bay and Coronado, building a bay-wide network of automated debris collection. At the Coronado Yacht Club, a skimmer named "Boris" (after a beloved dog) was installed. At the Coronado Cays Yacht Club, two skimmers named "Tiger" and "Pink Floyd" were inaugurated with a ribbon cutting ceremony in February 2023, funded by a San Diego County Board of Supervisors grant in partnership with Emerald Keepers.
The broader San Diego Bay program dates back to 2011, when skimmers were deployed at Pier 32 Marina, Point Loma Marina, Half Moon Marina, and Cabrillo Isle Marina. Each unit pumps approximately 450 gallons of water per minute, filtering out floating debris while consuming only about 5 cents worth of electricity per day. The program was deemed a success due to the sheer volume of debris removed and the increased observable clarity of the water.
- "Boris" at Coronado Yacht Club and "Tiger" and "Pink Floyd" at Coronado Cays Yacht Club
- Coronado Cays ribbon cutting February 2023, funded by SD County Board of Supervisors grant
- Partnership with Emerald Keepers environmental organization
- Bay-wide program since 2011 at Pier 32, Point Loma, Half Moon, and Cabrillo Isle Marinas
The Results
Each Marina Trash Skimmer in the San Diego Bay network removes up to 500 pounds of debris per month while operating at a cost of approximately 5 cents per day. The units pump 450 gallons per minute, continuously filtering the marina waters and collecting plastics, organic matter, and other floating waste. The 2011 bay-wide deployment was deemed a clear success due to the sheer volume of debris removed and the measurably increased clarity of the water.
The Coronado installations have become community landmarks, with members of the yacht clubs taking pride in their named skimmers and the visible improvement in water quality. Coverage in the San Diego Union-Tribune has highlighted the program's effectiveness and affordability, making a compelling case for automated debris collection as a standard practice for marinas throughout Southern California and beyond.
Each Marina Trash Skimmer removes up to 500 pounds of debris per month, pumps 450 gallons a minute, and costs about 5 cents a day to operate. The program has been a success due to the sheer volume of debris removed and the increased observable clarity of the water.San Diego Union-Tribune
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