November 2021 - Virtual Stormwater Pollution Prevention Events

county of san diego watershed protection program

Virtual Stormwater Pollution Prevention Events

November 2021

We all play a part in preventing stormwater pollution. Here are some ways to get involved in November and help protect our local waterways! All events are free unless otherwise indicated.


Cleanup Events

Beach Clean Up_Plastic Waste

 

I Love A Clean San Diego Community Cleanups Several in-person and remote neighborhood cleanups are being offered in November. Participants can join in one of two ways – in-person at the actual cleanup site, or remotely in their own neighborhoods. Trash will be collected to divert litter from their respective watersheds.

  • November 4, 3pm to 5pm – Sunset Sweep: 32nd Street Canyon Community Cleanup – Join I Love A Clean San Diego, San Diego Canyonlands, and Think Blue for an in-person or remote litter cleanup in 32nd Street Canyon. Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site or by Zoom (if remote) at 3pm and then get out there to beautify your canyon neighborhood and divert trash from traveling through the San Diego Bay watershed! Learn more or register.
  • November 6, 9am to 11am – Watershed Warriors Fallbrook Community Litter Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site or by Zoom (if remote) at 9am and then collect trash from around the Fallbrook community to divert litter from the San Luis Rey watershed. Learn more or register.
  • November 13, 10am to 12pm – Watershed Warriors Bonsall Community Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site or by Zoom (if remote) at 9am and then collect trash from around the Bonsall community to divert litter from the San Luis Rey watershed. Learn more or register.

 

San Diego River Park Foundation River Cleanups and Water Quality Monitoring Events – Several river cleanups and water quality monitoring events are being offered in November.

  • Saturday River Rescue Cleanups November 6, 13, and 27, 9am to 12pm – Come out and assist with river cleanups and support a healthy river while interacting with a group of like-minded people! Locations change weekly and will be emailed to you the Wednesday prior to the event. Learn more or register for the November 6th, November 13th, and November 27th events.

  • Water Quality Monitoring Events – Come join the RiverWatch team in various locations to see how they monitor the water quality of the San Diego River.

  • Clean and Green River Cleanup – Santee – November 20, 9am to 12pm – Help clean up debris and litter along the San Diego River. Learn more or register.


 

San Diego Coastkeeper Six Cleanup Challenge – Form a group and participate in the Six Cleanup Challenge to positively impact communities and outdoor spaces up and down the watershed. Pick up trash from two challenge sites in three categories – coastal, inland, and urban – and receive a certificate of completion and appreciation packet as a prize. Learn more and see list of challenge sites.


 

Surfrider San Diego Beach Cleanups – Join the San Diego chapter of the Surfrider Foundation in its ongoing beach and neighborhood cleanups.

  • Ongoing – Solo Cleanups – Participate in safe, physically distant ‘solo’ cleanups on your own – at the beach, in your neighborhood, at your local park – or anywhere in your watershed. Learn more about solo cleanup guidelines, how to tally your trash cleanup activity, and how you can make a difference in preventing trash from reaching the beach in the first place.
  • November 6, 9am to 11am – Oceanside Pier Cleanup – Participate in a beach and street cleanup at/around Oceanside Pier the first Saturday of each month and help play an active role in determining the sources of trash on our beaches. Learn more
  • November 6, 9am to 11am – Ocean Beach Pier Cleanup – Participate in a beach and street cleanup at/around Ocean Beach Pier the first Saturday of each month and help play an active role in determining the sources of trash on our beaches. Learn more.  

 

Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve – Friday Stewardship Sessions – November 5, 12, 19, and 26, 9am to 12pm – Join stewardship volunteers on Fridays in November in caring for the resources of the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve by establishing, restoring, and maintaining the native plant gardens and habitat, removing graffiti and litter, and helping to clean up the beaches. Learn more or register for the November 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th events.


 

 

Landscape & Gardening Events

Red Flowers in the Garden

 

WaterSmart Residential Landscape and Irrigation Online Programs – The San Diego County Water Authority’s WaterSmart Program is providing free residential webinars on landscape design and irrigation management during the month of November and through the end of the year. These classes are sponsored in part by Member Agencies and the County of San Diego.

  • November 3, 5:30pm to 8:30pm Plants: Inspiring Choices for Our Region – Learn about which plants to use in designing a low-water-use landscape and why some are more water-efficient than others. Learn more or register.

  • November 17, 5:30pm to 8:30pm – Water & Irrigation: Utilizing a Precious Resource – Learn strategies to use our limited water sources wisely, including integrating stormwater capture elements into your landscape and conserving water through simple irrigation system retrofits. Learn more or register.


 

 

The Water Conservation Garden – The following garden events will be offered in November.

  • November 9, 5pm to 6pm – Tree Planting for Success Online Class – Get step by step virtual instructions on how to prep an area, plant for success, and choose the right tree for the right place! Led by Master Arborist, Brad Brown of Tree Life Consulting. Choose a free tree sapling for pickup on November 13th at The Garden’s Fall Garden Festival sponsored by SDG&E. Learn more or register.

  • November 13, 10am to 2pm – Fall Garden Festival (entry fees vary, but may be waived*) – Attend the festival for fall plant sales, educational talks, and tours to help you get planting for the season. Plant vendors will be selling proteas, plumerias, Joshua Trees, succulents and other water saving plants, and many more. Free outdoor demonstrations and tours on water harvesting, hillside planting, and sustainable landscapes will be offered, sponsored by the County of San Diego. *Fees vary based on cost of admission to The Garden but may be waived if you pre-register and attend select tours. Learn more or register.


 

November 13, 10am to 12pm – Alta Vista Botanical Garden – Kids in the Garden Saturday Classes – Topic: Cooking – (garden entry fee $5 for non-members) – Kids and their families are invited to Saturday Classes featuring hands-on activities, Incredible Edibles, conservation lessons, and tours of the Gardens. Learn more or register.


 

November 13, 9am to 3pm – Poway Valley Garden Club 42nd Annual Standard Flower Show – Old Poway Park – Come out and see a wide variety of dazzling plants and flowers on display in Templars Hall, or express your own creativity by submitting your own entry. All ages are welcome to come and enjoy a fabulous day of gardening ideas, plant sales and more. Learn more.


 

University of California (UC) Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Webinar Series – UC IPM will be holding several webinars on pesticide management and safety.

  • November 18, 12pm to 1pm – Urban and Community IPM Webinar Series – Understanding Pesticides – Learn the basics of pesticides including types of pesticides, understanding pesticide labels, and how to use them safely. Presented by Karey Windbiel-Rojas, Associate Director for Urban & Community IPM/Area IPM Advisor. Learn more about the webinar series or register.
  • Pesticide Safety Training Webinars(fee $40) – This webinar series will provide participants who successfully complete webinar(s), Continuing Education (CE) units for the 2021 calendar year. Learn more or register.

    • November 9, 3pm to 4pm – Top 10 Pesticide Violations

    • November 16, 3pm to 4pm – Ground Squirrels Management


 

 

Landscape and Water-Savings Webinars – A series of landscape and water-savings webinars are being offered throughout the month of November. Dates and times vary. Hosted in part by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. See calendar and learn more or register.

  • California-Friendly Native Plant Webinar Learn how to design a yard using the four principles of gorgeous and watershed-wise landscaping including building healthy soil, capturing rainfall, selecting native plants that minimize water use, and controlling irrigation.

  • Rainwater Harvesting – Learn how to design your yard using watershed-wise landscaping including criteria and considerations when selecting rain capture methods such as swales, berms, cisterns, and integrating hardscapes.

  • Turf: Remove, Replace, or Maintain Organically Learn how to design your yard using principles of watershed-wise landscaping including removing your lawn without chemicals, building healthy soil, and selecting climate-appropriate and water-wise plants.

  • Garden Design WorkshopLearn how to identify critical steps for successfully designing a watershed-wise landscape including developing a successful planting plan, developing a palette of climate-appropriate plants, and sizing/siting rainwater capture area.

  • Deciphering Your Irrigation Controller – Learn about your irrigation controller including understanding irrigation’s role in maintaining a soil moisture balance, outlining the purpose of a weather-based controller, reviewing basic terminology and programming principles, identifying special functions like cycle & soak, and troubleshooting typical problems.

  • Drip Irrigation Maintenance & Troubleshooting – Learn how to save your landscape by understanding soil moisture balance, key components of a properly installed drip system, typical problems with drip and how to avoid them, and developing a successful maintenance practice.

  • Firescaping: Reducing the Vulnerability – Learn some of the ways you can make your home less vulnerable to fires including determining key points of vulnerability, understanding the role of soil moisture balance, reviewing landscape maintenance practices for protection, and planning a fire-resistant landscape.

  • Compost: Building the Soil Sponge – Get an introduction to the Soil Food Web and learn how to make your own compost and other soil amendments for your garden, as well as sheet mulching to build healthy soils.


 

 

Waste Reduction Events

Green Waste_Compost Bin

Green waste composting

 

I Love A Clean San Diego Waste Reduction Events – The following waste reduction events will be offered during the month of November.

  • Compost Your Food Scraps In-Person Workshop – November 6, 10am to 12pm – Learn about kitchen waste reduction and composting including how to keep organics out of the landfill by shopping smart, storing food properly, composting food scraps and methods, do’s and don’ts for making healthy soil, and how to use your finished compost. Learn more or register.
  • Celebrate Sustainably: Food and Festivities Webinar – November 17, 5pm to 6pm – Learn ways to reduce the amount of waste we produce in our kitchens around big holiday meals including tips on shopping with a plan, cooking root-to-stalk meals, recycling right, and disposing of cooking oils properly. Learn more or register.

 

Solana Center for Environmental Innovation Waste Reduction Webinar and In-Person Events – The following residential, agriculture, and business waste reduction events are being offered in November.

  • Farm & Ranch Composting Webinar Series (Parts 2 through 4) offered in partnership with San Diego County Farm Bureau and County of San Diego Recycling. Part 1, Small Scale Composting, offered on October 27th, 3pm to 4pm.

    • November 3, 3pm to 4pm – Mid Scale Composting with Windrows (Part 2) Learn how to protect your local watershed and produce a fantastic soil amendment using windrow composting. Includes benefits of composting, basics of windrow composting, manure management for large livestock ranches, and permit considerations. Learn more or register.

    • November 10, 3pm to 4pm – “Shoo, Fly, Shoo!” Pest Control for Livestock Owners (Part 3) – Learn strategies for combating pesky flies around livestock using a variety of techniques, with a focus on effective manure management. Learn more or register.

    • November 17, 3pm to 4:30pm Landscaping for Watershed Protection (Part 4) – Learn proper landscaping techniques to help keep water and soil where they belong on your farm or ranch. Includes large scale windrow composting; compost; compost socks; and compost blankets; catchment basins and rock interrupters; and native plantings. Learn more or register.

  • November 6, 13 and 20, 12pm to 2pm – Family Composting In-Person Course (fee $25) – Participate in a 3-week course for kids and adults to learn how to successfully compost at home including importance of composting, what can be composted and tools needed, and starting a compost pile for use in your home and garden. Sponsored by County of San Diego Recycling. Learn more or register.

  • November 6, 10am to 12pm – Backyard Composting In-Person Workshop – The Water Conservation Garden – Learn how to improve the quality of your soil, and reduce waste and air pollution, while saving energy, money, and water. Sponsored by County of San Diego Recycling. Site provider The Water Conservation Garden. Learn more or register.

  • November 9, 10:15am to 11am Introduction to Vermicomposting In-Person Workshop – Learn the basics and benefits of vermicomposting (worm composting) as an environmentally-friendly way to turn your food waste into nutrient-rich castings for your plants or garden beds. Includes how to set up your own worm bin.  Sponsored by County of San Diego Recycling. Site provider Dos Valles Garden Club.  Learn more or register.

  • November (scheduled pickup to be determined) – Free E-Business Waste Pickup – Coastal North County Cities – A FREE e-waste pick-up service is being offered to businesses in coastal North County cities. Register by the second Friday of the month. Urban Corps will contact you to confirm pick-up. Offered in partnership with Urban Corps. Learn more or register.


 

Every Sunday in November, 2pm to 3pmThe Living Coastal Discovery Center and City of Chula Vista On-Site Compost Workshops – Learn the basics on how to start your own compost pile and turn food waste into nutrient-rich soil. On-site workshops free with admission. Pre-recorded video compost workshops also available. Learn more or register.


 

November 13, 9am to 1pmSD Environmental Services One-Day Collection Events – City of San Diego – A one-day household hazardous waste (HHW) collection event will be held at Balboa Park Inspiration parking lot. Learn more.


 

 

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

Find My District

ONLINE SERVICES

Report Stormwater Pollution
Report observed pollution to the correct jurisdiction.

Citizen Access Portal
Research property information and permits. Apply for some permits online.

GIS Maps
Find property information including zoning designation with our web-based mapping tool. 


Watershed Protection Website
sandiegocounty.gov/stormwater

 

New Project Clean Water


Project Clean Water efforts are focused on providing a centralized point of access to water quality information and resources for San Diego County Watersheds. Click HERE to visit Project Clean Water’s website. 

To learn more about the County of San Diego - Watershed Protection Program, please visit sandiegocounty.gov/stormwater