Stormwater Pollution Prevention Events
September 2022
We all play a part in preventing stormwater pollution. Here are some ways to get involved in September 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 September to divert litter from their respective watersheds and local communities.
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September 3, 8am to 10am – Watershed Warriors: Crest Community Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site at 8 am and then collect trash from around the Crest community to divert litter from the Sweetwater watershed. Offered in partnership with South Lane County Park and the County of San Diego. Learn more or register.
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September 10, 9am to 11am – Memorial Park Street Sweep Neighborhood Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site at 9am to meet Councilmember Moreno and then to collect trash around Memorial Park to divert litter from the San Diego Bay watershed. Offered in partnership with Council District 8 and SDG&E. Learn more or register.
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September 17, 9am to 12pm – 38th Annual Coastal Cleanup Day – Join ILACSD and hundreds of other volunteers in the County’s largest single-day environmental cleanup effort by removing litter and debris from your community. Volunteers of all ages are invited to grab buckets and work gloves and join one of the 75+ site locations across San Diego County. Registration opens Thursday, September 1st. Learn more or register.
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September 24, 8am to 10am – Watershed Warriors: Spring Valley Community Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site at 8 am and then collect trash from around the Spring Valley community to divert litter from the Sweetwater watershed. Offered in partnership with Spring Valley Community Alliance and the County of San Diego. Learn more or register.
San Diego Canyonlands Cleanup and Restoration Volunteer Events – Join San Diego Canyonlands and various communities in their local habitat restoration and cleanup efforts during the month of September. The work at each event varies but can include planting/caring for native plants, removing invasive plants, and removing trash and debris from restoration areas.
San Diego River Park Foundation – The following river cleanup, field assessment, and water quality monitoring events are being offered throughout the month of September. 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 September 1st, September 8th, September 15th, September 22nd, and September 29th.
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September 11 and 25, 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 September 11th, and September 25th.
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September 9 (East County) and 25 (West County), 8am to 12pm – RiverWatch East and West Team Monthly Water Quality Monitoring – Come join the RiverWatch East and West teams to learn how to monitor the water quality of the San Diego River. Learn more or sign up for the events on September 9th and September 25th.
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September 15 and 29, 9am to 3pm – El Capitan Invasive Tree Removal – Help remove 2.5 acres of non-native invasive species of tamarisk and arundo from the San Diego Watershed along the El Capitan Reservoir. Learn more or sign up for the events on September 15th and September 29th.
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September 21, 8am to 12pm – Preserve Steward Day – Join Preserve Stewards in caring for the open space land of the headwaters of the San Diego River by maintaining trails, caring for oak trees, removing invasive non-native plants, caring for native plants, repairing fences, and installing irrigation. Learn more or sign up.
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September 24, 9am to 12pm – Clean & Green Cleanup – 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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September 3, 9am to 11am – Ocean Beach Cleanup (Surfrider) – Help with a beach and street cleanup at Ocean Beach Pier. Meet at Ocean Beach Veterans’ Plaza. Learn more.
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September 17, 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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September 24, 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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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 – The following cleanup and restoration events will be held during the month of September:
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Friday Stewardship Sessions – September 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30, 9am to 12pm – Join stewardship volunteers on Fridays in September 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 September 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th events.
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13th Annual Tijuana River Action Month (TRAM) – September 17 through October 15 – Join the Tijuana National Estuarine Research Reserve in their month-long series of education and stewardship events to benefit the Tijuana River Watershed. TRAM will include a variety of clean-ups, restoration events, workshops, and more. Events will take place on both sides of the border, and anyone can participate from either side. Learn more.
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National Public Lands Day Cleanup and Restoration – September 23, 9am to 12pm – Participate in the annual community-based cleanup and restoration project taking place at the Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center. Learn more.
Preserve Calavera Restoration Events – Join Preserve Calavera to help with their September restoration events to improve the conditions of local watersheds. Help remove invasive species and/or plant native plants and seeds.
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September 10, 8:30am to 10:00am – Rancho La Costa Preserve, Carlsbad. Learn more.
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September 17, 8:30am to 10:00am – El Corazon, Oceanside. Learn more.
Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation – September Restoration Event – September 17, 9am to 12pm – Participate in the monthly restoration event at Cove Dr. Trail to help restore native habitat and maintain trails with fellow community members. Learn more or sign up.
WaterSmart Residential Landscape and Irrigation Webinars and Workshops – The San Diego County Water Authority’s WaterSmart Program is providing landscaper training during the month of September as well as past recordings of its 3-hour Landscape Workshops and the option to apply for the waitlist for the 4-hour Landscape Makeover Workshops. Most events are offered online unless otherwise noted. 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.
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Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL) Certificate Training – From soils to water budgets, audits, and controller programming, you’ll learn the science and principles of water-efficient landscapes through the QWEL training certification. This free 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. Two sessions are being offered.
University of California (UC) Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program – The UC IPM is offering the following webinars during the month of September:
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September 7, 3pm to 4pm – UC AG Expert Talk: Weed Control in Non-Crop and Natural Areas – This webinar will focus on the fundamentals of utilizing an integrated management approach for weed management outside of cropping systems. Topics include tools for plant identification, principles of weed biology and cultural techniques, and various chemical and non-chemical control techniques will be discussed. Data from applicable research trials will be highlighted to demonstrate principles and practices. Learn more or register.
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September 7, 8am to 5pm (ENGLISH); September 28, 8am to 5pm (SPANISH) – Pesticide Safety Instructor Training (fee $400) – Participants who complete this training will become qualified to provide pesticide safety training to fieldworkers and pesticide handlers as required by California state regulations. This training is approved by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR). Learn more or register.
Mission Bay Marshes: Work Party at Kendall-Frost – September 24, 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.
San Diego Horticultural Society – Smart, Gorgeous, Sensible Succulent Gardens In-Person and On-Line Event, September 12, 6pm to 8pm (fees vary) – Join succulent fashionista Debra Lee Baldwin as she shares the good, bad, and magnificent of homeowner-designed succulent gardens. Get a deeper knowledge and appreciation of these versatile, low-water plants. Learn more or register.
The Water Conservation Garden – The following garden events will be offered in September.
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September 17, 10am to 11:30am – How to Hire a Landscaper and Save! – Pam Meisner, Director of Programs, gives an informative, common-sense approach to hiring a landscape professional. You’ll learn which questions to ask, how to properly plan, and receive money-saving tips too! Sponsored by the County of San Diego. Learn more or register.
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September 21, 9:30am to 10:30am – Lil’ Sprouts Storytime with Ms. Smarty-Plants – Join Ms. Smarty-Plants™ on the 3rd Wednesday of every month for a featured story followed by a craft. Storytime is free with Garden Admission. Registration will close on Friday, September 16th. Learn more or register.
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Wednesdays in 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 September. Dates and times vary. Hosted by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. See calendar and learn more or register.
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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.
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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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Goodbye Grass: Qualify for a Turf Replacement Rebate – Learn about replacing your lawn with a watershed-wise landscape, and how rebates can help you succeed.
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Beautiful Gardens on Limited Watering – Learn how to maintain a drought-resilient yard using the principles of watershed-wise landscaping including key management practices to support drought-resistant gardens, irrigation management, lawn conversion, and tree protection in times of drought.
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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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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.
UCCE Master Gardener Association of San Diego – The following events will be offered during the month of September.
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September 10, 10am to 1pm – National City’s Senior Saturdays, Kimball Park – Bring all of your gardening questions to be answered by a UCCE certified Master Gardener. They will be there to help with planting, watering, pest control, and virtually anything garden related. Learn more.
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September 24, 9am to 3pm – Fall Plant Sale, Balboa Park – Attend the Master Gardener’s traditional fall plant sale where you’ll find all varieties of plants including CA natives, flowering plants, edible plants, herbs, birdhouses, garden art, other items, as well as many more surprises. Learn more.
 Managing your food waste will help keep organic materials out of our landfills and address climate change
Solana Center for Environmental Innovation Waste Reduction Events – The following residential and business events are being offered in September.
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September 8, 2pm to 3pm – SB 1383 Compliance – Commercial Food Waste Prevention Webinar – City of Encinitas – Learn strategies to reduce food waste, save money & get ahead of state regulations impacting your Encinitas business. 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.
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September 10, 10am to 11:30am – Raising Backyard Chickens In-Person Workshop – Julian – Learn about raising backyard chickens and how they can improve the quality of your soil, reduce waste, and help save you money. Topics include local regulations for keeping backyard chickens, basic requirements for making a home- sweet-chicken-home, feeding and keeping hens healthy and happy, and local and online resources. Funded by the County of San Diego Recycling. Site provider Highlands Organic Orchard & Farm in Julian. Learn more or register.
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September 17 through October 15, 9:30am to 12:30pm – Master Composter In-Person Course ($25 fee) – City of San Diego – This five-week Master Composter course provides training in the art and science of composting covering topics on traditional composting, vermicomposting and Bokashi, compost bin building and troubleshooting, environmental impacts, and more. Course includes lectures, demonstrations, and a field trip. Eligible for Master Composter certification upon meeting certain requirements. Funded by the City of San Diego Environmental Services. Site location Tecolote Canyon Nature Center. Learn more or register.
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September 20, 10am to 11am – SB 1383 Compliance – Commercial Food Waste Prevention Webinar – County of San Diego – Learn strategies to reduce food waste, save money & get ahead of state regulations impacting your business. 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 County of San Diego Recycling. Learn more or register.
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September 21 – 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.
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September 22, 12pm to 1pm – Backyard Composting Basics Webinar – City of San Diego – Learn the basics of traditional backyard composting including importance and benefits of composting, composting bin options, tools and materials, and how to build a compost pile. Funded by the City of San Diego Environmental Services. Learn more or register.
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September 27, 7pm to 8:30pm – Waterwise Gardening Workshop – County of San Diego – Learn how to create a less thirsty and environmentally-friendly landscape at this workshop with the California Rare Fruit Growers! Topics include climate-appropriate planting, using mulch and compost to build healthy soil that conserves water, managing irrigation efficiently, and soil types and gardening styles. Funded by the County of San Diego Recycling. Learn more or register.
The Living Coastal Discovery Center – The following events are being offered in September:
6th Annual Environmental Leadership Summit – September 17, 9am to 3pm (fees vary) – The theme of the 2022 Summit for 125 leaders of environmental organizations in the San Diego Region is The Future of Conservation. Sessions throughout the day will include panelists and environmental activists from local, state and national organizations. The Summit will be held in the Fowler Ballroom in the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center at SDSU. Ticket fees range from $35 to $41 and include lunch. Learn more or purchase tickets.
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