More than 120 Redondo Beach restaurants received clean bay certification last week for their efforts to mitigate stormwater runoff from their establishments.
Awarded by the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission (SMBRC), the certification recognizes restaurants who go "above and beyond" local stormwater regulations to help prevent pollution in the Santa Monica Bay.
To receive the certification, restaurants must take extra steps such as labeling and protecting storm drains, keeping exterior areas like parking lots clean and preventing spills.
460 restaurants in the cities of Hermosa Beach, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Santa Monica and Torrance all received perfect scores during inspection to receive the clean bay certification.
In Redondo Beach alone, 126 restaurants were certified.
Establishments that were awarded certification in Redondo Beach ranged from fast food establishments like Carl's Jr. on Artesia Boulevard to fancier eateries such as the Chart House near the Redondo Beach Marina.
“Through the Clean Bay Restaurant Certification Program, the city was excited to get in touch with the community and discuss what restaurant owners and managers can do to protect the Santa Monica Bay,” said Elaine Jeng, the acting principal civil engineer for the City of Redondo Beach in a release. “It’s a mutually beneficial program—by keeping our ocean clean, restaurants benefit from tourists who come to enjoy the Bay."
According to the SMBRC, stormwater runoff is one of the biggest contributors to pollution in the Santa Monica Bay, which runs from Los Angeles County's border with Ventura County in the north to the Palos Verdes peninsula in the south.
Certified clean bay restaurants can be identified by window stickers at their entrances and will also be recognized in the local papers and on SMBRC's website.
