In 2025, Lake Merritt Institute crew and volunteers removed a total of 111,630 gallons of pollution from the lake and surrounding shorelines five days a week, year-round. This impact was made possible by the dedication of 1,862 of volunteers who contributed 5,706 volunteer hours to protect Oakland’s Crown Jewel.
In 2024 with the help of over 1,800 local volunteers, together we pulled out 75,960 gallons of trash and 400 hypodermic needles from the shorelines and water of Lake Merritt.
The Lake Merritt Institute plays a crucial role in maintaining the cleanliness and environmental health of Oakland’s crown jewel, Lake Merritt. As part of our partnership with the City of Oakland, the institute is contracted to conduct trash removal operations five days a week with the help of community volunteers. This ongoing commitment ensures that the lake remains a vibrant and pristine natural habitat for wildlife and a beloved recreational destination for residents and visitors alike. Through its dedicated efforts, the Lake Merritt Institute continues to make a significant impact in preserving and protecting this cherished urban oasis.
Beginning October 2019, Oakland asked that we measure trash collected in gallons.
Every month since January, 1997, the Institute has removed several hundred to several thousand pounds of trash from the shoreline of Lake Merritt.
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Above shows amount of trash collected each month from Lake Merritt over nearly 23 years.
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Although still too high to meet impending regulatory restrictions, trash levels have declined over the years due to restrictions on plastic packaging, public education, and storm drain filters. More storm drain filters are needed, plus enforcement on littering in Lakeside Park and other areas.
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The above chart is nearly identical to a rainfall chart. Rainwater washes tons of trash including used syringes into the storm drain system which then flows into Lake (Estuary) Merritt.
A few hundred to about fifteen hundred pounds are removed during the summer months when no rain falls.
What must be done about trash in urban runoff?
- In 1998, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency formally declared that the beneficial uses of Lake Merritt (recreation, wildlife, spawning & estuarine habitat) are “impaired” because of trash and low oxygen.
- In 2009, the Water Quality Control Board required 70 Bay Area cities to reduce trash in storm water 40% by July, 2014; 70% by 2017 and 100% by 2022.
- If these requirements are not met, penalties could be as high as $25,000 per day or $10 per pound of trash remaining in the water!
Lost Anything? We found these in the Lake.
