Stormwater Pollution Prevention Events

July 2023

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

• Cleanup Events
• Landscape & Gardening Events
• Waste Reduction Events
• Stormwater Pollution Prevention & Education

Cleanup Events

I Love A Clean San Diego (ILACSD) Community Cleanups – The following in-person cleanup events are being offered in July to divert litter from their respective watersheds and local communities.

• July 1, 9am to 1pm – Sustainable Saturday at Valley Center Library – Watershed Warriors: Valley Center Cleanup – Start the morning with a litter clean up around the Valley Center Library to divert litter from the San Luis Rey watershed. Stay for additional events in the Library (10am-1pm) that promote sustainable practices and reduce waste including a Clothing Swap Party and Fix-It-Clinic to repair any non-working items. There will also be resource booths with information about recycling, composting, and more! Learn more or register.
• July 5, 9am to 11am – Morning After Mess Cleanup – Mission Beach – Help clean up around Mission Beach after the 4^th of July celebrations. Meet at Fiesta Sunset Beach at 9 am to grab supplies and join ILACSD and Surfrider San Diego for this clean up! Learn more or register.
• July 8, 9am to 11am – Watershed Warriors: Julian Community Cleanup – Join the Julian Chamber of Commerce and County of San Diego for a community clean up to divert litter from the San Diego River watershed. Check in tables will be set up at Nickel Beer Company at 9 am. Learn more or sign up.
• July 8, 9am to 11am – Watershed Warriors: Spring Valley Community Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site at 9 am and then collect trash from around the Spring Valley community to divert litter from the Sweetwater watershed. Learn more or sign up.
• July 13, 3pm to 5pm – Sunset Sweep: Manzanita Canyon Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site at 3 pm and then collect trash from around the Manzanita Canyon to divert litter from the watershed from traveling to the Pacific Ocean. Offered in partnership with San Diego Canyonlands and Think Blue San Diego. Learn more or register.
• July 15, 9am to 11am – Watershed Warriors: Lakeside Community Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site at 9 am and then collect trash from around the Lakeside community to divert litter from the San Diego River watershed. Learn more or sign up.
• July 22, 9am to 11am – Watershed Warriors: Woodhaven/Rancho San Diego Community Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site at 9 am and then collect trash from around the Rancho San Diego community to divert litter from the Sweetwater watershed. Site location Woodhaven County Park. Offered in partnership with the County of San Diego. Learn more or sign up.
• July 29, 9am to 11am – Watershed Warriors: Hilton Head/Rancho San Diego Community Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site at 9 am and then collect trash from around the Rancho San Diego community to divert litter from the Sweetwater watershed. Site location Hilton Head County Park. Offered in partnership with the County of San Diego. 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.

• July 1, 9am to 11am – Ocean Beach Cleanup – Meet at Ocean Beach Veterans’ Plaza. Learn more or register.
• July 1, 9am to 11am – Oceanside Pier Beach Cleanup – Meet at Oceanside Pier where Harbor Drive meets the Beach. Learn more or register.
• July 5, 9am to 11am – Morning After Mess Cleanup Series – Meet at six various beaches and parks across San Diego County the morning after the Independence Day holiday. Learn more or register.
• July 15, 9am to 11am – Moonlight State Beach Cleanup – Meet next to the restrooms. Learn more or register.
• July 15, 10am to 12pm – Imperial Beach Cleanup – Meet at the Spirit of Imperial Beach Statue for Latino Conservation Week and Clean Border Water Now (CBWN) Beach Cleanup. Learn more or register.
• 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.
• 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.

San Diego River Park Foundation – The following river cleanup, field assessment, and water quality monitoring events are being offered throughout the month of July. Sign up for events as individuals or as a group.

• 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.
• 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.
• 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 July 6^th, July 13^th, July 20^th, and July 27^th.
• July 5, 9am to 12pm – Morning After Mess July 5^th Cleanup – Join the San Diego River Park Foundation in partnership with the Surfrider Foundation's annual Morning After Mess Cleanup! Park in the Dog Beach Parking lot and meet in the grass field behind the Ocean Villa Inn, next to the pollinator garden! Learn more or register.
• July 9 and 23, 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 2^nd and 4^th Sunday of the month. Activities include watering, planting, pruning, weeding, path maintenance, and more! Learn more or sign up for the cleanups on July 9^th, and 23^rd.
• July 19, 8am to 12pm – Preserve Steward Day – Help Preserve Stewards care for the headwaters of the San Diego River by maintaining trails, removing invasive non-native plants, caring for native plants, installing irrigation, and more. Learn more or sign up.
• July 21 (East County) and 23 (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 July 21^st and 23^rd.

Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve – Friday Stewardship Sessions – July 7, 14, 21, and 28, 9am to 12pm – Join stewardship volunteers on Fridays in July 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 July 7^th, 14^th, 21^st, and 28^th events.

Buena Vista Audubon – The following events are being held during the month of July.

• July 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31, 9am to 12pm – Weekly Nature Center Garden Work Party Events – Join the crew at the Nature Center on Monday mornings to do maintenance work around the native plant garden and trails. Learn more about the July 3^rd, 10^th, 17^th, 24^th, and 31^st
• July 10 through 14, 9am to 12pm – Summer Camp ($125 fee) – Kids aged 6 to 10 years old can participate in summer camp activities including nature lessons, arts and crafts, music, and games. Enrollment is limited to 18 kids. Learn more or register for the July 10^th, 11^th, 12^th, 13^th, and 14^th

San Diego Audubon Habitat Restoration Events – The following work parties and restoration events will be offered during the month of July. The focus will be to help restore coastal dune habitat by removing invasive plants, replanting native plants, and conducting other land management activities.

• July 8, 9am to 11am – Rose Creek Native Plant Garden Work Party – 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.
• July 8, 9am to 12pm – Famosa Slough Work Party – Join the Friends of Famosa Slough to work on restoring this local wetland. Help remove invasive plants, maintain trails, and pick up trash. This is a great opportunity to learn more about efforts to protect this urban wetland. Learn more.

Preserve Calavera Restoration Events – Join Preserve Calavera to help with their July restoration events to improve the conditions of local watersheds. Help remove invasive species and/or plant native plants and seeds.

• July 15, 9am to 10:30am – El Corazon, Oceanside. Learn more.
• July 22, 9am to 10:30am – Rancho La Costa Preserve, Carlsbad. Learn more.

Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation – July Restoration Event Hubbs Trail – July 22, 9am to 12pm – Participate in the monthly restoration event at Discovery Center Trail to help with invasive species removal, native planting, and erosion control with fellow community members. Learn more or sign up.

Landscape & Gardening Events

WaterSmart Residential Landscape and Irrigation Events – The San Diego County Water Authority’s WaterSmart Program is providing past recordings of the 3-hour Landscape Workshops and Designer At Your Door consultation services during the month of July.

• Designer At Your Door Water Conservation Service – This service provides an opportunity for one-on-one support from industry professionals that complements special topic WaterSmart landscape classes. Homeowners must meet certain criteria to qualify for this service. Learn more about homeowner eligibility by clicking on the Design Program tab and apply.
• Past Recordings of 3-Hour Landscape Workshops – View past workshops.

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

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 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.
• Goodbye Grass: Qualify for a Turf Replacement Rebate – Learn about replacing your lawn with a watershed-wise landscape, including removing turf without the use of chemicals, replacing it with climate-appropriate plantings, and how to apply for a turf replacement rebate.

California Native Plant Society (CNPS) Naturehood Monthly Gardening Webinars – Native Plants and Art – July 6, 5:30pm to 6:30pm – Explore the unique relationship between native plants and artistic expression and how California’s flora has influenced art. Learn more or register.

San Diego Botanic Garden – The following events are being offered in July.

• Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays in June, 10am to 12pm – Monthly SAPLinGS Sessions – Children are invited to join for Science, Art, and Play in Garden Spaces (SAPLinGS) activities. Each month the focus will be on a different plant or nature-based theme. Science activities engage kids with cool science and hands-on learning that stimulates curiosity. Art activities focus on projects that spark the imagination. Scroll to July calendar for specific SAPLinGS dates of interest and to learn more.
• July 15, 10am to 12pm – Water Wisdom Workshop #3: Keeping Your Garden Manicured and Happy ($$ fees vary and include Garden admission) – Attendees will learn the basics of garden maintenance and the benefits of using compost, mulch and fertilizers. Organic gardening will be promoted with Integrated Pest Management The workshop will be 1.5 hours inside followed by a half-hour garden tour. Registration closes on July 13^th. Learn more or register.
• July 28, 2pm to 3pm Monthly Summer Science Series – ($$ fees vary and include Garden admission) – Join the Garden each month as plant science and conservation efforts are presented by San Diego Botanic Garden’s staff, colleagues, and guest speakers. Speakers are to be determined. Registration closes on July 27^th. Learn more or register.

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

• July 29, 9:30am to 11:00am – More Beauty, Less Water – Beautify your home while saving water! Learn how to redesign your landscape to do your part in reducing water use. Learn more or register.
• July Landscape Design On-Line Consultation Sessions – weekly on Wednesdays, 3pm or 4pm; monthly on second Tuesday, 9am or 10am – ($$ 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 weekly on Wednesdays or monthly on second Tuesday. Learn more or register.
• July Greywater Consultation Services – ($65 fee) – Schedule an online or in-person visit with a greywater specialist to help you determine whether saving water and money with a laundry-to-landscape system is for you. An explanation of the benefits of diverting your laundry discharge water to the landscape to grow trees, shrubs, and bushes will be provided. Learn more or schedule.

UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program - Urban and Community Monthly Webinar Series – Natural Enemies & Beneficial Bugs – July 20, 12pm to 1pm – Learn about pest identification, prevention, and management around the home and garden during this monthly webinar series offered every Thursday. The July topic will focus on natural enemies and beneficial bugs – how to identify them and how they can help you out in your home and garden. Learn more or register.

Waste Reduction Events

Outdoor Composting Pile

I Love a Clean San Diego (ILACSD) Sustainable Saturday at Valley Center Library – July 1, 9am to 1pm – Join ILACSD for a morning of activities focused on waste reduction to help us all be sustainable. The day also includes a litter clean up around the Valley Center community and resource booths with County information about recycling, composting, and more! Learn more or register for the following events.

• Clothing Swap – Bring your gently used clothing items to exchange them for other items at no cost. By participating in the swap you will be conserving natural resources, reducing the environmental footprint of producing new goods, and building community. Learn more about swap parties.
• Fix-It-Clinic:Bring your broken, non-working items—electronics, appliances, computers, toys, bicycles, clothes, and more—for assessment, disassembly, and possible repair. We’ll provide workspace, specialty tools, and guidance to help you take apart and troubleshoot your item. Even if we can’t fix it, you’ll learn more about how it was made and how it works. Learn more and sign-up to bring an item here!
• Hands-On Worm Composting Demo: Hosted by Solana Center for Environmental Innovation.
• Seed Bombs Workshop and Seed Library: Hosted by The Valley Center Library.

Solana Center for Environmental Innovation Waste Reduction Events – The following residential and business online and in-person events are being offered in July.

• July 15, 10am to 12pm – Raising Backyard Chickens In-Person Workshop – Ramona – 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 Ramona Ranch Winery. Learn more or register.
• July 19 – Free E-Business Waste Pickup – A free monthly e-waste pick-up service is being offered to businesses in San Diego County. Register by Friday July 14^th for the Wednesday July 19^th Urban Corps will contact you to confirm pick-up. Offered in partnership with Urban Corps. Learn more or sign up.
• July 25, 7pm to 8pm – Backyard Composting Basics Workshop – Vista – Learn the basics of traditional backyard composting including the importance and benefits of composting, composting bin options, tools and materials, and how to build a compost pile. Offered in partnership with California Rare Fruit Growers. Funded by the County of San Diego Recycling. Learn more or register.
• July 29, 10am to 11am – Green Living Tour – Learn how to live a more sustainable lifestyle with some easy steps to address issues around water, waste, and soil health. You’ll see sustainability in action as you explore worm bins, grey water systems, innovative compost projects, a water-wise garden, a tool lending library, and more. Tour is free with a suggested donation of $15. Learn more.

The Living Coastal Discovery Center – Learn the basics on how to start your own compost pile and turn food waste into nutrient-rich soil by attending the following on-site and virtual events. Chula Vista residents can purchase a Soil Saver compost bin for $35 after attending one of the City’s composting workshops or the Master Composter Course. Sponsored by the City of Chula Vista. Learn more or register.

• Every Sunday in July, 2pm to 3pm – On-site workshop free with admission.
• July 2, 2pm to 3pm – Virtual workshop.
• Pre-recoded workshops – View video compost workshops.

Stormwater Pollution Prevention & Education

The Living Coast Discovery Center Summer Kids’ Wildlife Camps – Various sessions June through July, 8am through 5pm – ($$ fees vary) – Campers will spend their days exploring, learning about local wildlife and conservation, interacting with the animals that call the Living Coast their home, and so much more! Half-day and full-day options and fees vary by age group. See calendar and register.

California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA) Seminar Series – What’s Next: Exploring Issues in Stormwater Management – July 13, 10am to 3pm – ($$ fees vary) – This seminar will focus on two panel discussions: 1) Trash – Lessons Learned to Inform Future Planning and 2) Compliance and MS4 Cost Reporting – Lessons Learned and Evolving Permit Requirements. Also includes Construction Program Updates on Training Program, BMP Handbooks, Map Tools, and SMARTS. Seminar is open to both members and non-members of CASQA. Registration closes July 12. See agenda and learn more and register.

Center for Watershed Protection – 2023 Webcast Series: Webcast 6 – Behavior Change for Stormwater and Wastewater ($159 fee) – July 19, 10am to 11:30am – This webcast focuses on strategies for community engagement that result in better protection of storm drains; reducing fat, oil, and grease in wastewater infrastructure; and public reporting of infrastructure maintenance needs. Scroll to webcast 6 to learn more or register.

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

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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

Learn more about available water quality rebates that you could apply to your property!

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.