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
