Thank you to all the volunteers who came out on May 16, 2026, for National River Cleanup Day. 740 volunteers removed 14,050 pounds of trash from nearly 70 miles of waterways at 47 cleanup sites across Santa Clara County. Detailed results by site are available below.
National River Cleanup Day
Saturday, May 16, 2026 – 9 a.m. – Noon
Site Name
Number of Volunteers
Distance Cleaned (Miles)
Weight of Trash Collected (Pounds)
Site #1: Calabazas Creek, Sunnyvale
34
1.5
510
Site #2: Regnart Creek, Cupertino
61
4
166
Site #3: Coyote Creek, San Jose
51
0.25
5000
Site #4: Guadalupe River, San Jose
21
3.5
200
Site #5: Penitencia Creek, San Jose
28
1
225
Site #6: Coyote Creek, San Jose
4
0.5
150
Site #7: Upper Penitencia Creek, San Jose
5
1
300
Site #8: Saratoga Creek, Santa Clara
13
0.5
620
Site #9: Tularacitos Creek, Milpitas
25
4
21.7
Site #10: San Tomas Aquino Creek , Santa Clara
12
0.5
30
Site #11: Penitencia Creek, San Jose (Cancelled)
-
-
-
Site #12: Guadalupe River, Santa Clara
12
3
150
Site #13: Saratoga Creek, Santa Clara
16
2
610
Site #14: Debell Uvas Creek, Gilroy
42
3
134
Site #15: Guadalupe River, San Jose
15
1.5
76.7
Site #16: Adobe Creek, Palo Alto
6
5
25
Site #17: Matadero Creek, Palo Alto
8
2
145.5
Site #18: Calabazas Creek, Cupertino
22
1
500
Site #19: Mallard Slough, San Jose
11
2
28.5
Site #20: Lower Silver Creek, San Jose
7
0.5
171
Site #21: Guadalupe Creek, San Jose
16
1.5
145.6
Site #22: Berryessa Creek, Milpitas
15
1
45
Site #23: Little Llagas Creek, Gilroy
23
1
127
Site #24: El Camino Creek, Sunnyvale
6
1
3
Site #25: Alviso Slough, San Jose
20
0.5
45
Site #26: Deer Creek, Los Altos Hills
15
0.5
155
Site #27: Stevens Creek , Mountain View
24
1
500
Site #28: Quimby Creek, San Jose
3
0.5
60
Site #29: Coyote Creek, San Jose
13
0.5
90
Site #30: Regnart Creek, Cupertino
1
0.5
15
Site #31: Adobe Creek, Palo Alto
1
0.5
10
Site #32: Los Gatos Creek, Campbell (Cancelled)
-
-
-
Site #33: Sunnyvale East Channel, Sunnyvale
2
2
30
Site #34: San Tomas Aquino Creek, Santa Clara
38
1
150
Site #35: Guadalupe Reservoir , San Jose
3
1
135
Site #36: Sunnyvale East Channel, Sunnyvale
3
0.5
40
Site #37: Madrone Channel, Morgan Hill
3
2
120
Site #38: Los Gatos Creek, Campbell
30
1.6
100
Site #39: Calabazas Creek, Santa Clara
26
1.5
256
Site #40: Guadalupe River, San Jose (Cancelled)
-
-
-
Site #41: Sunnyvale East Channel, Sunnyvale
11
0.52
52.78
Site #42: Stevens Creek, Mountain View
19
0.5
420
Site #43: Thompson Creek, San Jose
12
0.7
175
Site #44: Madrone Channel, Morgan Hill
3
2
21
Site #45: Penitencia Creek East Channel, Milpitas
12
0.6
76
Site #46: Coyote Creek , San Jose
15
1.5
226
Site #47: Coyote Lake, Gilroy
3
1.5
45
Site #48: Guadalupe River, Santa Clara
11
3
240
Site #49: Lower Silver Creek, San Jose
18
4
1660
Site #50: Saratoga Creek, Santa Clara
1
0.5
45
Total:
740
69.67
14050.78
Strange and unusual items found include:
A fake alligator, railroad spikes, a lawnmower, a purple leopard print guitar, a Coca-Cola machine, car parts, Tesla battery, a ski mask, half a suitcase, bolt cutters, a melted traffic cone, a kayak, half a skateboard, half a scooter, and assorted toys
