Stormwater Pollution Prevention Events
August 2022
We all play a part in preventing stormwater pollution. Here are some ways to get involved in August and help protect our local waterways! All events are free unless otherwise indicated.
I Love A Clean San Diego (ILACSD) Community Cleanups – The following in-person cleanup events are being offered in August to divert litter from their respective watersheds and local communities. Check back for more.
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August 13, 8am to 10am – Watershed Warriors: Sweetwater Canyon Community Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site at 8 am and then collect trash from around the Sweetwater Canyon community to divert litter from the Sweetwater watershed. Offered in partnership with Sweetwater Regional Park and the County of San Diego. Learn more or register.
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August 18, 3pm to 5pm – Sunset Sweep: Navajo Canyon Community Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site at 3 pm and then get out there to beautify the Navajo Canyon neighborhood and divert trash from the San Diego River watershed. Offered in partnership with Friends of Navajo Canyon and Think Blue San Diego. Learn more or register.
San Diego River Park Foundation – The following river cleanup, field assessment, and water quality monitoring events are being offered throughout the month of August. Sign up for events as individuals or as a group.
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Tuesdays and Fridays, 9am to 12pm – River Assessment Field Teams (RAFT) – On Tuesdays and Fridays throughout the month, the RAFT will walk different segments of the San Diego River to identify issues affecting the river, such as trash, debris, and illegal dumping. Learn more or sign up.
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Wednesdays and Saturdays, 9am to 12pm – River Rescue Cleanups – 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. Learn more or sign up.
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Thursdays, 8am to 10am – Team E.C.O. (Education Center Operations) Cleanups – On Thursdays throughout the month, help the E.C.O. care for the site of the future River Center at Grant Park by trimming vegetation, removing graffiti, and picking up trash. Learn more or sign up for the cleanups on August 4th, August 11th, August 18th, and August 25th.
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August 14 and 28, 9am to 11am – River Garden Club Cleanup – Help San Diego River Park Foundation staff or volunteers beautify the Point Loma Native Plant Garden and River Mouth at the river estuary. Cleanups take place every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month. Activities include watering, planting, pruning, weeding, path maintenance, and more! Learn more or sign up for the cleanups on August 14th, and August 28th.
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August 19, 8:30am to 12:30pm; August 21, 8am to 11:30am – RiverWatch Team Monthly Water Quality Monitoring – Come join the RiverWatch team to learn how to monitor the water quality of the San Diego River at various locations. Learn more or sign up.
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August 27, 9am to 12pm – Clean & Green – Support a healthy river while interacting with a group of like-minded people by helping the core volunteer team with river cleanups! Learn more or sign up.
Surfrider/Coastkeeper San Diego Beach and Neighborhood Cleanups – Join the San Diego chapters of the Surfrider Foundation and Coastkeeper in their ongoing beach and neighborhood cleanups. Meet at the designated locations below and look for the blue Surfrider or Coastkeeper tent.
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August 13, 9am to 11am – Tourmaline Surf Park/Pacific Beach (Coastkeeper) – Help with a beach cleanup at Pacific Beach/Tourmaline Surf Park. Meet near the restrooms. Learn more.
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August 20, 9am to 11am – Imperial Beach Cleanup (Surfrider) – 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.
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August 20, 9am to 11am – Moonlight Beach Cleanup (Surfrider) – Help with a beach and street cleanup at Moonlight Beach. Meet near the restrooms. Learn more.
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August 27, 9am to 11am – Pacific Beach Cleanup (Surfrider) – Help with a beach and street cleanup in Pacific Beach. Meet at Crystal Pier. Learn more.
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August 27, 9am to 11am – South Mission Beach Cleanup (Coastkeeper) – Help with a beach cleanup at South Mission Beach. Meet near the restrooms near the lifeguard tower. Learn more.
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Ongoing – Solo Cleanups (Surfrider) – 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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Six Cleanup Challenge, Flexible Dates/Times (Coastkeeper) – 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. Receive a certificate of completion and appreciation packet as a prize. Learn more and see list of challenge sites.
Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve – Friday Stewardship Sessions – August 5, 12, 19, and 26, 9am to 12pm – Join stewardship volunteers on Fridays in August 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 August 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th events.
Preserve Calavera Restoration Events – Join Preserve Calavera to help with their August restoration events to improve the conditions of local watersheds. Help remove invasive species and/or plant native plants and seeds.
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August 13, 8:30am to 10:00am – Rancho La Costa Preserve, Carlsbad. Learn more.
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August 20, 8:30am to 10:00am – El Corazon, Oceanside. Learn more.
WaterSmart Residential Landscape and Irrigation Webinars and Workshops – The San Diego County Water Authority’s WaterSmart Program is providing past recordings of the 3-hour Landscape Workshops and the option to apply for the waitlist for the 4-hour Landscape Makeover Workshops once they resume. These workshops are sponsored in part by Member Agencies and the County of San Diego.
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WaterSmart 3-Hour Landscape Online Workshops Past Recordings – Participate in free online workshops taught by a local landscape design professional with a ‘do-it-yourself’ approach. View past workshops.
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WaterSmart 4-Class Landscape Makeover Series – 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. Learn more and apply for waitlist.
Alta Vista Botanical Gardens, Kids in the Garden Class – Water All Around Us – August 6, 10am to 12pm ($5/person, free for Alta Vista Botanical Gardens Family Memberships) – Join Farmer Jones to learn about the wonders of water! Topics include how we use water, save water, and have fun with water. After class you can explore the Gardens and Children’s Garden. Due to limited openings, please RSVP to Farmer Jones at farmerjonesavbg@gmail.com. Learn more.
University of California (UC) Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program – Urban and Community Webinar Series – Pesticides and Water Quality – August 18, 12pm to 1pm – Join the UC IPM Program in their monthly Thursday webinars to learn more about pest identification, pest management, and pesticide use around the home and garden. This month’s webinar will focus on how to use pesticides safely, avoid exposure by nontargets, and reduce runoff and environmental contamination. Learn more or register.
Rose Creek Native Plant Garden Work Party – August 13, 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 trash and invasive plants, and plant native species. This is an easy one-to-two-hour project and great for children of all ages. Learn more.
Mission Bay Marshes: Work Party at Kendall-Frost – August 27, 9am to 11am – Join the Friends of Mission Bay Marshes to help remove non-native plants, plant and maintain native plants, and more. Learn more.
The Water Conservation Garden – The following garden events will be offered in August.
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August 27, 10am to 11:30am – Summer is for Planning – James Cothrine, owner of Earthwise Industries, will present on key steps to restore your landscapes for function, aesthetics, and conservation. Sponsored by the County of San Diego. Learn more or register.
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Wednesdays in August and September, 3pm or 4pm – Landscape Design On-Line Consultation, Summer 2022 ($$ fees vary) – Receive helpful advice from professional landscape designers and architects on how to make changes to your landscape, incorporate water-wise plants and materials, qualify for a rebate, or obtain guidance for installing a new water efficient landscape. Offered in 45-minute timeslots beginning at 3pm or 4pm. Learn more or register.
Landscape and Water-Savings Webinars – A series of landscape and water-savings webinars are being offered throughout the month of August. Dates and times vary. Hosted by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. See calendar and learn more or register.
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Irrigation & Water Use Efficiency – Learn how to design a yard using the principles of watershed-wise landscaping. Topics include overview of an irrigation system, programming a controller, why to install drip over spray, and easy ways to conserve water.
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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.
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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 and siting the 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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Drip Irrigation Fundamentals – 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.
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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.
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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.
 Composting with Worms (Vermicomposting)
Solana Center for Environmental Innovation Waste Reduction Events – The following residential and business events are being offered in August. Check back for more.
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August 13, 10am to 12pm – All About Worms In-Person Workshop – City of San Diego – Learn about the benefits of vermicomposting (composting with worms) and turning food waste into nutrient-rich castings for your garden. Topics include appropriate tools and materials, steps to start a vermicompost bin, how to feed your worms and which foods are suitable, troubleshooting and maintaining your worm bin, and harvesting and using finished castings. Sponsored by the City of San Diego Environmental Services. Learn more or register.
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August 17 – Free E-Business Waste Pickup– A free e-waste pick-up service is being offered to businesses in San Diego County. Register by the second Friday of the month for the following Wednesday pickup. Urban Corps will contact you to confirm pick-up. Offered in partnership with Urban Corps. Learn more or sign up.
The Living Coastal Discovery Center – The following events are being offered in August:
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On-Site and Virtual Compost Workshops – Learn the basics on how to start your own compost pile and turn food waste into nutrient-rich soil. Learn more or register. Pre-recorded video compost workshops also available. Sponsored by the City of Chula Vista.
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Every Sunday in August, 2pm to 3pm – On-site workshop free with admission.
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August 7, 2pm to 3pm – Virtual workshop. Chula Vista residents can purchase a Soil Saver compost bin for $35 after attending virtual workshop.
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August 6, 4pm to 7:30pm – Annual Farm to Bay 2022 Fundraising Event ($120/ticket) – Attend the 13th annual fundraising event to support and learn about coastal wildlife, education, and sustainability programs, at the Living Coast Discovery Center. Enjoy food and beverage samplings from local vendors, animal encounters with your favorite Living Coast ambassadors, live entertainment from local artists, a silent and live auction, and more! Learn more or buy tickets.
Escondido Creek Conservancy Adventure Summer Camp 2022 5-Day Session – August 1st through 5th, 8am to 1pm – ($275 per camper) – Youths aged 7 to 10 can explore the Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve, where they discover the natural world by hiking, playing, and conducting hands-on science! Each of the five days will focus on a different theme including Watershed Wonders, Pollution & the Solution, Exploration and Discovery, Plants and Pollinators, and Amazing Animal Adaptations. Learn more or contact simon@escondidocreek.org for more information.
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