General Meeting

The Friends of Smith Canal will be having a General Meeting at the Stockton Yacht Club on July 16 at 7:00 pm. The address is 3235 River Drive. Directions: going west on Country Club or Alpine west of I-5, turn right on Wisconsin (north). Wisconsin will run into River Drive. All residents of Smith Canal and others interested in the preservation of the canal are invited to attend.

Smith Canal Cleanup Day

When: Saturday, July 26, 2003—9am to 1pm
Where to meet: Yosemite Lake at the east end of American Legion Park—cross streets are Lakeside and South Tuxedo at 8:30am.

Friends of Smith Canal with support of various City of Stockton and San Joaquin County agencies will hold this summer's cleanup of Smith Canal on July 26. We invite you to participate with us on this Saturday project from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, as we work to maintain and preserve the beauty and habitat of this historic waterway. Our efforts, as in the past, will be directed toward cleanup of the shorelines of the canal and Yosemite Lake, and this year there are also provisions made for canal property owners. With the help of the City of Stockton, canal residents can take this opportunity to clean up their own backyard levees and deposit debris in containers provided by the city.

We need the help of volunteers from throughout the Smith Canal community to make this summer's cleanup the biggest and most rewarding yet. Volunteers should meet at the east end of American Legion Park beginning at 8:30 am for registration and orientation. Participants will be assigned to crews for lake and Shimizu levee cleanup. Boaters interested in participating in the cleanup efforts should also meet at the lake at 8:30 am. They will be teamed up with cleanup organizers to coordinate retrieval of pre-identified debris and provided with pickup locations along the levee for disposal.

Cleanup sponsors will also be at the park to provide canal residents with information regarding City of Stockton dumpster locations. Collection bins will be placed at sites on both sides of the canal and be available to property owners along the canal for disposal of levee debris and materials

Please join us in our efforts to restore and retain the beauty of the Smith Canal for our residents and visitors. Come meet your friends and neighbors at this fun and fulfilling community event.

Stockton Record Staff Writer

Audrey Cooper has attended FOSC Steering Committee and the General Public meetings. She has written articles about FOSC water quality issues, events, and Smith Canal's enviromental and storm drain problems. Below are links to her articles, published in the Stockton Record. To reach reporter Audrey Cooper, phone 546-8298 or e-mail acooper@recordnet.com

08/21/02—High levels of PCBs found in Stockton fish—Study cites Yosemite Lake, Smith Canal

11/12/01—Smith Canal Reflects Delta's problems

11/14/01—Stockton misses first-flush chance—Monday storm an opportunity to check storm drain buildup

12/14/01—Lawn chemicals Add to Delta Poisoning—Toxicity study called most comprehensive ever