Stormwater Pollution Prevention Events
March 2022
We all play a part in preventing stormwater pollution. Here are some ways to get involved in March and help protect our local waterways! All events are free unless otherwise indicated.
I Love A Clean San Diego Community Cleanups – Several in-person neighborhood cleanups are being offered in March to divert litter from their respective watersheds.
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March 5, 9am to 11am – Watershed Warriors Alpine Community Litter Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site at 9am and then collect trash from around the Alpine community to divert litter from the San Diego River watershed. Offered in partnership with the County of San Diego. Learn more or register.
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March 10, 3pm to 5pm – Sunset Sweep: Dennery Canyon Community Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site at 3pm and then get out there to beautify the Dennery Canyon neighborhood and divert trash from the Otay and Tijuana watersheds. Offered in partnership with the Chaparral Lands Conservancy and Think Blue. Learn more or register.
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March 12, 9am to 11am – Watershed Warriors Ramona Community Litter Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site at 9am and then collect trash from around the Ramona community to divert litter from the San Dieguito watershed. Offered in partnership with Ramona Parks and Recreation and the County of San Diego. Learn more or register.
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March 19, 9am to 11am – Watershed Warriors Julian Community Litter Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site at 9am and then collect trash from around the Julian community to divert litter from the San Diego River watershed. Offered in partnership with the Julian Chamber of Commerce and the County of San Diego. Learn more or register.
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March 26, 9am to 11am – Watershed Warriors Lakeside Community Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site at 9am and then collect trash from around the Lakeside community to divert litter from the San Diego River watershed. Offered in partnership with the County of San Diego. Learn more or register.
San Diego River Park Foundation River Cleanups, Field Assessments, and Water Quality Monitoring Events – The following river cleanups, field assessments, and water quality monitoring events are being offered throughout the month of March. Learn more details on each of the below events by scrolling through the events calendar. RSVP required.
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River Rescue Cleanups – Wednesdays and Saturdays, 9am to 12pm – On Wednesdays and Saturdays throughout the month, come out and assist the core volunteer group with river cleanups. Locations change weekly and will be emailed to you the Wednesday prior to the Saturday cleanup events, and on Friday prior to the Wednesday cleanup events.
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River Field Assessment Teams – Tuesdays and Fridays, 9am to 12pm – On Tuesdays and Fridays throughout the month, the team will walk different segments of the San Diego River in the Mission Valley area to identify issues affecting the River, such as trash, storm water debris and illegal dumping.
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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.
Surfrider San Diego Beach Cleanups – Join the San Diego chapter of the Surfrider Foundation in its ongoing beach and neighborhood cleanups. Meet at the designated locations below and look for the blue Surfrider tent.
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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.
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March 5, 9am to 11am – Oceanside Pier Cleanup – Help with a beach and street cleanup at Oceanside Pier. Meet on the north side of the pier, on the beach. Learn more.
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March 5, 9am to 11am – Ocean Beach Pier Cleanup – Help with a beach and street cleanup at Ocean Beach Pier. Meet at Ocean Beach Veterans’ Plaza. Learn more.
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March 19, 9am to 11am – Moonlight Beach Cleanup – Help with a beach and street cleanup at Moonlight State Beach. Meet near the restrooms. Learn more.
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March 19, 9am to 11am – Imperial Beach Cleanup – Help with a beach and street cleanup in Imperial Beach. Meet at The Spirit of Imperial Beach Statue and look for the blue Surfrider tent! Learn more.
Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve – Friday Stewardship Sessions – March 4, 11, 18, and 25, 9am to 12pm – Join stewardship volunteers on Fridays in March 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 March 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th events.
San Diego Coastkeeper Cleanup Events – The following cleanups are being offered in March.
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Six Cleanup Challenge, Flexible Dates/Times – 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.
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March 12, 9am to 11am – Mission Beach/Belmont Park Cleanup – Help with a beach cleanup at Mission Beach/Belmont Park. Meet on the grass next to the Mission Beach parking lot. Look for the Coastkeeper pop-up tent. Learn more.
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March 26, 9am to 11am – Riverbed Cleanup and Tree Planting – In partnership with Otay Regional Park, help rid the area of debris before it reaches the ocean along with assisting with restoration work and planting native trees. Meet at the 27th St./Beyer Blvd. river crossing an look for the blue San Diego Coastkeeper canopy. Learn more.
WaterSmart Residential Landscape and Irrigation Webinars and Workshops – The San Diego County Water Authority’s WaterSmart Program is providing the following free events during the month of March. Most events are offered online unless otherwise noted. These classes are sponsored in part by Member Agencies and the County of San Diego.
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WaterSmart 4-Class Landscape Makeover Series – Spring is the perfect time to plan and install the landscape of your dreams! The WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Series is a free educational program that helps you gather the skills needed to transform your high-water-use lawn into a beautiful, sustainable landscape.
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Saturday Morning 4-Class Series: March 19th and 26th, April 2nd and 9th , 9am - 12pm. Enrollment closes February 25. Learn more or register.
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Wednesday Evening 4-Class Series: April 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th, 5:30pm to 8:30pm at the Lemon Grove County Library. Sign up for current waitlist. Learn more and sign up for waitlist.
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WaterSmart Workshop - March 12, 9am to 12pm – Installation & Maintenance: Protecting Your Investment – Learn strategies for success in removing your turf and installing and maintaining your landscaping. Learn more or register.
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Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL) Certificate Training – From watersheds, water budgets and hydraulics, to application rates, controller programming and soils, you’ll learn the science and principles of water-efficient landscapes through the QWEL training certification. This free 20-hour course is spread out over a seven-week period in convenient, two-hour weekly live webinars. Optional certification exams are available in-person or online. In-person exams are FREE. A $30 exam proctoring fee applies to online exams.
University of California Cooperative Extension’s (UCCE) Integrated Pest Management (IPM) - Healthy Garden – Healthy Home Program – UCCE IPM’s Healthy Garden Healthy Home Program is offering free online webinars in March that will help improve your garden, manage pests, and conserve water.
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March 12, 10am to 11:30am – How to Grow a Salsa Garden! – Learn the proper planting for a healthier backyard salsa garden and tips for controlling common pests and diseases. Learn more or register.
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March 26, 10am to 11:30am – Starting to Grow Your Own Food? Learn How to Win the Battle Against Pests from the Start Workshop! Learn how to keep your plants healthy and prevent pests from the start. Learn more or register.
Rose Creek Native Plant Garden Work Party – March 12, 9am to 11am – Join the Friends of Rose Creek to work on The Nature School’s native plant interpretive garden behind Rose Creek Cottage in Pacific Beach. Help weed, water, remove invasive non-native plants and trash, and plant native species. Easy one-to-two-hour project and great for children of all ages. Learn more.
The Water Conservation Garden – The following garden events will be offered in March.
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March 16, 9:30am – Storytime with Ms. Smarty-Plants – Join Ms. Smarty-Plants™ on the 3rd Wednesday of every month for a featured holiday-themed story followed by a craft. Storytime is free with Garden admission. Learn more or register.
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March 12, 10am to 11:30am – Planting Water, Growing Soil – Landscape contractors, Wild Made Design, will show you techniques and strategies to regenerate your landscape by ‘planting water’ and ‘growing’ healthy soil. Sponsored by the County of San Diego Watershed Protection Program. Learn more and register.
Landscape and Water-Savings Webinars – A series of landscape and water-savings webinars are being offered throughout the month of March. Dates and times vary. Hosted in part by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. See calendar and learn more or register.
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Garden Design Workshop – Learn 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.
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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.
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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.
 Food Scraps Inside a Compost Bin
Green Oceanside, Donating Edible Food 101 Workshop – March 8, 2pm to 4pm – Join Green Oceanside Kitchen for a workshop for food service providers, grocers, restaurants, donors and feeding agencies to learn about SB 1383 (a new state law requiring edible food donation and recovery), receive resources and compliance help with food recovering requirements, and discuss what is needed to address food donation capacity gaps or lack of resources. Feeding agencies can receive insulated food pick-up bags (limited to first 50 participants). Learn more or register.
I Love A Clean San Diego Waste Reduction Events – Join I Love A Clean San Diego and its partners in the following in-person and online waste reduction events during the month of March.
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March 15, 5pm to 6pm – Zero Waste Grocery Shopping In-Person Workshop – Attend an in-person workshop at the Logan Heights Library for tips on reducing food waste, low waste recipe ideas, how to properly dispose kitchen waste, and packaging-free product swaps. Offered in partnership with the City of San Diego. Learn more or register.
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March 22, 7pm to 8pm – A Practical Path to Sustainable Parenting Webinar – Learn how to integrate low-waste habits into daily routines in achievable ways, including toys, snacks, birthday parties, school supplies, and more. Offered in partnership with the City of Encinitas. Learn more or register.
Solana Center for Environmental Innovation Waste Reduction Events – The following residential and business online and in-person events are being offered in March.
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March 2, 6pm to 7:30pm – Compost: A Misunderstood & Under-Utilized Natural Resource for Creating Healthy Soil, Food, Water & Air Quality Webinar – This webinar for Healthy Soils Program awardees will explore the multifaceted value of amending agricultural soils with compost. Topics include assessing the health of our soils; the importance of compost in the creation, protection and maintenance of healthy soils; resources on how to become a “Practitioner of Healthy Soils;” and how to apply compost in accordance with your grant agreement. Funded by California Climate Investments. All are welcome to attend. Learn more or register.
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March 5, 12 and 19, 9am to 12:30pm – On-Farm Composting Course - Unincorporated County residents only – Ramona (fee $25) – In this 3-week composting course that focuses on farms, ranches, or large properties, you’ll learn composting management techniques from basics to troubleshooting; siting to vector control; and regulatory considerations to soil benefits. Course combines lectures, hands-on training, and a field trip to operational composting facilities. Sponsored by the County of San Diego Recycling in partnership with the Farm Bureau of San Diego. Site provider San Diego County Estates Association, Ramona. Learn more or register.
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March 16, 10am to 2pm – 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.
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March 16, 6pm to 7:30pm – Integrating Compost, Plants, & Water Catchment for Sustainable Farmscaping Webinar – In this webinar for Healthy Soils Program awardees, you’ll explore the interrelated nature of soil health, plants, and water, and how to successfully combine these elements into a productive, ecologically-beneficial agricultural space. Topics include the role of compost and mulching in permaculture, and planting strategies and techniques to build carbon rich soils and increase water holding capacity. Funded by California Climate Investments. All are welcome to attend. Learn more or register.
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Family Fun Series: Support Global Worming (3-part in-person series) – Vermicomposting (worm composting) is an environmentally-friendly way to turn your food waste into nutrient-rich castings for your plants or garden beds. In this 3-part family fun series, learn about the magic of vermicomposting and how easy it is to build a home for red wiggler composting worms. Sponsored by the County of San Diego Recycling in partnership with the Alpine Branch Library.
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March 22, 3:30pm to 4:30pm (Part 1) – Let’s Build a Worm Bin! – Learn about the important features of vermicompost bins, steps and materials to build self-contained and in-ground worm bins, how to purchase a worm bin and take advantage of available subsidies, and where to put your worm bin within/around the house. Learn more or register.
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March 29, 3:30pm to 4:30pm (Part 2) – Making Your Worms Feel at Home – Learn about the needs of red wiggler worms and how to prepare bedding, introduce and feed your worms, and ensure they are comfortable in their new home. Learn more or register.
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April 5, 3:30 to 4:30pm (Part 3) – From Bin to Bed – Learn how to harvest and use "black gold" from your worm bin to grow a healthy garden including fun ways to harvest worm castings, why castings are great for plants, and uses for castings in the family garden. Learn more or register.
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March 26, 2pm to 4pm – Free Traditional Composting & Intro to Bokashi In-Person Workshop – Encinitas – Learn the basics of traditional composting and get an introduction to bokashi, a fermentation method that will enable you to compost all your food waste, including meat, dairy, and liquids. Funded by Funded by City of Encinitas. Site provider Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego – North. Learn more or register.
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March 29, 2pm to 3pm – Commercial Food Waste Prevention Webinar – Encinitas – Learn strategies to reduce food waste, save money & get ahead of state regulations impacting your Encinitas businesses. Topics will include impacts of food waste on your business and the environment, food waste legislation (SB 1383), practical tips and strategies to prevent food waste and save money, and guidance on food donation, liability protection, tax incentives and how to get started. Funded by the City of Encinitas. Learn more or register.
On-Site and Virtual Compost Workshops – The Living Coastal Discovery Center and City of Chula Vista are offering the following compost workshops in March where participants will learn the basics on how to start their own compost pile and turn food waste into nutrient-rich soil. Pre-recorded video compost workshops also available. Learn more or register.
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Every Sunday in March, 2pm to 3pm – On-Site Workshop free with admission
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March 6, 2pm to 3pm – Virtual Workshop. Chula Vista residents can purchase a Soil Saver compost bin for $35 after attending virtual workshop.
SD Environmental Services One-Day Collection Events – City of San Diego – One-day household hazardous waste (HHW) collection events will be held at the following locations. Learn more.
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March 12, 9am to 1pm – City of San Diego, Public Utilities Department
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March 26, 9am to 1pm – Balboa Park Inspiration parking lot
Aqua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation Tip Top 5K/10K Fun Run & Walk and World Water Day Celebration – March 12, 8:30am to 12pm – Participate in a family-friendly fun walk/run to celebrate the eradication of the Caulerpa taxifolia (invasive algae harmful to Pacific Ocean) followed by a party at the finish line in observation of World Water Day on March 22nd. Virtual run/walk option also available. Finish line event features entertainment, vendors, and World Water Day celebrations. Learn more or register.
I Love A Clean San Diego – What to Know About H2O Webinar – Money Savings Rebates from the City of San Diego – March 26, 10am to 12pm – Attend this webinar focused on learning about where our water comes from, some easy tips for conserving water, and how to prevent pollution in our neighborhoods and local waterways. Discussion will also cover money-saving rebates offered by the City of San Diego to help your home become more water wise. Learn more or register.
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