Stormwater Pollution Prevention Events
August 2023
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.
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August 5, 9am to 1pm – Sustainable Saturday at Alpine Library/Watershed Warriors: Alpine Community Cleanup – Start the morning at the Alpine Branch Library with a litter clean up around the neighborhood to divert litter from the San Diego River. Stay for additional events (10am-1pm) that promote sustainable practices and reduce waste including a Clothing Swap Party and Fix-It-Clinic to repair any non-working items. Learn more or register.
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August 12, 9am to 11am – Watershed Warriors: Flinn Springs Community Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site at 9 am and then collect trash from around the Flinn Springs County Park to divert litter from the San Diego River. Offered in partnership with Flinn Springs County Park and County of San Diego Learn more or sign up.
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August 12, 9am to 11am – Watershed Warriors: Kumeyaay Valley Park/Lakeside Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site at 9 am and then collect trash from around the Kumeyaay Valley Park/Lakeside community to divert litter from the San Diego River. Offered in partnership with the County of San Diego. Learn more or sign up.
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August 19, 9am to 11am – Lake Hodges Community Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site at 9 am and then collect trash from around the Lake Hodges environment. Offered in partnership with Council District 5 and SDG&E. Learn more or sign up.
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August 19, 9am to 11am – Watershed Warriors: Ramona Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site at 9 am and then collect trash from around the Ramona community to divert litter from the San Dieguito watershed. Offered in partnership with the County of San Diego. Learn more or sign up.
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August 24, 3pm to 5pm – Sunset Sweep: Swan Canyon Cleanup – Attend the kick-off at the cleanup site at 3 pm and then collect trash from around the Swan Canyon to divert litter from the San Diego Bay watershed from traveling to the Pacific Ocean. Offered in partnership with San Diego Canyonlands and Think Blue San Diego. Learn more or register.
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 5, 9am to 11am – Ocean Beach Cleanup – Meet at Ocean Beach Veterans’ Plaza. Learn more or register.
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August 5, 9am to 11am – Oceanside Pier Beach Cleanup – Meet at Oceanside Pier where Harbor Drive meets the Beach. Learn more or register.
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August 12, 9am to 11am – Tourmaline Surf Park – Meet next to the public restrooms by the parking lot. Learn more or register.
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August 19, 9am to 11am – Moonlight State Beach Cleanup – Meet next to the restrooms. Offered in partnership with Graystar Real Estate and Property Management. Learn more or register.
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August 19, 10am to 12pm – Imperial Beach Cleanup – Meet at the Spirit of Imperial Beach Statue. Learn more or register.
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August 26, 9am to 11am – South Mission Beach– Meet near the restrooms by the lifeguard tower. Learn more or register.
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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.
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 3rd, August 10th, August 17th, August 24th, and August 31st.
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August 1, 9am to 12pm – IMPACT Teams – Join team IMPACT to help remove non-native invasive species from the lower San Diego watershed adjacent to Town and Country. Learn more or sign up.
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August 13 and 27, 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 13th, and August 27th.
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August 16, 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.
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August 26, 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.
Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve – Friday Stewardship Sessions – August 4, 11, 18, and 25, 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 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th events.
San Diego Canyonlands Cleanup and Restoration – Navajo Canyon Habitat Restoration Event – August 5 and 19, 9am to 11am – Join San Diego Canyonlands and City of San Diego Park Rangers in restoring native habitat at Navajo Canyon! Help us improve the health of the San Diego River Watershed by removing invasive non-native plant species, planting native species, watering, and spreading mulch. Presented by City of San Diego Open Space Rangers. Learn more or register.
Buena Vista Audubon (BVA) – The following events are being held during the month of August.
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August 7, 14, 21, and 28, 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 August 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th
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August 28, 10am – Preschool Nature Storytime at the Lagoon – Join BVA for their monthly nature-themed stories for preschool children. This month’s theme on “Who Lives in the Ocean?” where children will learn about fish and other sea creatures through stories, songs, and a simple craft. Learn more or call Sally at 760-525-2351.
San Diego Audubon Habitat Restoration – Rose Creek Native Plant Garden Work Party – August 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 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.
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 19, 9am to 10:30am – El Corazon, Oceanside. Learn more.
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August 26, 9am to 10:30am – Rancho La Costa Preserve, Carlsbad. Learn more.
Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation Discovery Kids Gala 2023 – August 25, 5pm to 7pm ($$ fees vary) – Bring your child to the Discovery Center’s Superhero’s Gala Event. Activities include a magic show, raptor presentation, unveiling of the beautification tile mural (kids can create a tile prior to event), virtual reality superhero, a superhero activity, and light dinner from Rubio’s. More details will be provided. Learn more.
WaterSmart Residential Landscape and Irrigation Events – The San Diego County Water Authority’s WaterSmart Program is providing the following workshops and consultation services during the month of August.
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In-Person Workshops
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August 1, 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. Site location Encinitas Community and Senior Center. Learn more or register.
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August 2, 5:30pm to 8:30pm – Plan Ahead: Understanding Soil and Site Assessments – Learn about the steps needed to turn water-thirsty turf into a beautiful and sustainable landscape including how to rethink, redesign and renovate your landscape and the important role of healthy soil in a successful landscape. Site location Vallecitos Water District. Learn more or register.
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August 16, 5:30pm to 8:30pm – Design: Shape Your Space – Learn how to integrate your landscape into your personal lifestyle. Site location Vallecitos Water District. Learn more or register.
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August 30, 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. Site location Vallecitos Water District. Learn more or register.
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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.
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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 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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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 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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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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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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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.
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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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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.
California Native Plant Society (CNPS) Naturehood Monthly Gardening Webinars – Native Gardening 101: A Balanced Garden – August 3, 5:30pm to 6:30pm – Learn how to maintain balance with the different needs of your native plant garden and keep it all in harmony. Learn more or register.
San Diego Botanic Garden – The following events are being offered in August.
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Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays in August, 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 August calendar for specific SAPLinGS dates of interest and to learn more.
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August 5, 4pm to 6pm – Survivor Tree Commemoration – Join friends and colleagues around the globe to dedicate a newly planted ginkgo tree descended from a mother tree that survived the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan more than 70 years ago. The commemoration will include several guest speakers as well as a leaf rubbing and community wish writing activities for attendees to participate in. Learn more.
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August 12, 2pm to 4pm – Celestial Succulent Arrangement Workshop ($$ fees vary and include Garden admission) – Participants will put together a beautiful succulent arrangement using a curated selection of high-quality materials. Registration closes on August 10th. Learn more or register.
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August 25, 2pm to 3pm – Monthly Summer Science Series – 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 August 24th. Learn more or register.
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August 26, 12pm to 1:30pm – Carnivorous Plants 101: The Basics ($$ fees vary and include Garden admission) – Learn about carnivorous plants and the fascinating environments these plants thrive in and the types of prey they feed on. Registration closes on August 25th. Learn more or register.
The Water Conservation Garden – The following garden events will be offered in August.
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August Landscape Design On-Line Consultation Sessions – weekly on Wednesdays, 4pm or 5pm; monthly on second Tuesday, 9am or 10am, and second Friday, 2pm; and select Thursdays, 2pm ($$ 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. Learn more or register.
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August Greywater Consultation Services – August 7-14 and 21-25, timeslots vary by day ($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.
Alta Vista Botanical Garden – August 12, 10am to 12pm – Kids in the Garden Classes – Water is Wonderful ($5 fee, includes entry to the Garden) – Learn how to use, save, and have fun with water. Learn more or pre-register with Farmer Jones at farmerjonesavbg@gmail.com.
UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program – Learn about pest identification, prevention, and management around the home and garden during monthly webinars and workshops.
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August 16, 9am to 11:15am – Pest Insight Webinar Workshop Series ($30 fee) – The aim of these webinar-style workshops is to provide applied, scientific, and decision-based pest control information to pest control licensees. The August topic will focus on bird control, fleas and flea-borne diseases. Learn more or register.
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August 17, 12pm to 1pm – Urban and Community Monthly Webinar Series – Invasive Species Success Stories – The August topic will focus on invasive species of pests arriving in California and what California agencies and organizations are doing to eliminate or minimize the damage. Includes success stories and discussion on how the public can assist in early detection and rapid response to these invading pests. Learn more or register.
 Outdoor Composting
I Love a Clean San Diego (ILACSD) Sustainable Saturday at Alpine Library – August 5, 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 (9am to 11am) around the Alpine Community. Learn more or register for the cleanup and following events.
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Clothing Swap (10am to 1pm) – 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.
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SD Fix-It-Clinic in Alpine (10am to 1pm) – Learn how to reduce waste by fixing things instead of throwing items away. Bring your broken, non-working items—electronics, appliances, computers, toys, bicycles, clothes, and more—for assessment, disassembly, and possible repair. Workspace, specialty tools, and guidance to help you take apart and troubleshoot your item will be provided. Fix-It Clinic hosted by Zero Waste San Diego.Learn more and register.
SD Fixit Clinic in Carlsbad – August 12, 10am to 1pm – Learn how to reduce waste by fixing things instead of throwing items away. Bring your broken, non-working items—electronics, appliances, computers, toys, bicycles, clothes, and more—for assessment, disassembly, and possible repair. Workspace, specialty tools, and guidance to help you take apart and troubleshoot your item will be provided. Several booths and workshops on reuse, repair, and recycling with a Back-to-School Theme will also be on-site. Site location Georgina Cole (Carlsbad) Library. Learn more or register.
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 by attending the following on-site and virtual events. Sponsored by the City of Chula Vista. Learn more or register.
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Every Sunday in August, 2pm to 3pm – On-site workshop free with admission.
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August 6, 2pm to 3pm – Virtual workshop. 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.
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Pre-recoded workshops – View video compost workshops.
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August 12, 4pm to 7:30pm – Annual Farm to Bay 2023 Fundraising Event ($120/ticket) – Attend the 14th 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 sustainably-minded restaurants, craft breweries, and wineries. The event also features animal encounters, silent and live auctions, musical entertainment, and more! Learn more or buy tickets.
Solana Center for Environmental Innovation – Free E-Business Waste Pickup – August 16 – A free monthly e-waste pick-up service is being offered to businesses in San Diego County. Register by Friday August 11th for the Wednesday August 16th pickup. Urban Corps will contact you to confirm pick-up. Offered in partnership with Urban Corps. Learn more or sign up.
City of Chula Vista – Free Compost Event – August 26, 8am to 12pm – City of Chula Vista residents are invited to this free compost event at the Otay Landfill. Be sure to bring your shovels for loading, containers to fill, and don’t forget the tarps to cover your compost! Learn more.
Batiquitos Lagoon – Coastal Geology – August 12, 10am – Learn about the processes that shape our constantly-changing shoreline from Keith Heyer Meldahl, former Mira Costa professor of Geology and author of Surf, Sand and Stone. Learn more or reserve your spot.
Coastal Roots Farm Encinitas – 2023 Farm Film & Music Series – Fish People – August 31, doors open at 7pm ($10 fee) – This month’s documentary Fish People is part of a five-part series featuring inspiring documentary films, local musicians, and meaningful conversations around equitable food systems, environmental justice, and caring for the planet. There will be live music, mingling, and a chance to speak with local organizations and individuals from the community until film screening begins, about an hour and a half after doors open, approximately 8:30pm. Sponsored by US Bank. Learn more or register.
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