WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS
Act Now: Rain Is On the Way!
Rain is in the forecast again in the next few days! By taking action before the weekend, you can do your part to protect San Diego County’s creeks, rivers, bays, and ocean from pollution.
Businesses are tremendous assets for preventing pollution from entering our streets, storm drains, and ultimately our waterways. If businesses are not careful, water from rain can carry large amounts of pollutants like oil, sediment, trash, and more from their properties untreated to our water bodies. Your business can make an impact in protecting our water quality, aquatic life, and community.
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Pollution Prevention Checklist to Get Your Business Stormwater-Ready
There are several last-minute best management practices that businesses can do that go a long way to protect our waterways. When rain is in the forecast, take these steps to ensure your business is stormwater-ready.
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Do a quick inspection for trash, debris, and spills requiring immediate cleanup.
- Sweep up and dispose of debris on the ground into appropriate trash, recyclable, and green waste containers. Secure lids on waste containers to prevent spills. Also, keep lids closed when not in use.
- Empty recyclables, trash, and manure containers to prevent overflowing or pre-arrange to have them hauled away.
- Clean up spills immediately using dry clean-up methods which don’t involve the use of water. These include sweeping, wiping, or vacuuming to clean up grease spots and fluid spills.
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Cover equipment and materials stored outdoors to avoid coming into contact with stormwater runoff. Use tarps to cover stockpiles of soil, mulch, or other materials.
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Have sandbags, gravel bags, and straw wattles handy for emergency erosion control. We provide free sand and bags to businesses to protect their property! Call the location ahead of time for hours of operation and sandbag availability. Watch this instructional video You’ve Got Your Sandbags, Now What?
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Turn off your sprinkler system and modify your irrigation schedule to prevent overwatering.
Prepare Now for Erosion and Flooding Prevention
In addition to polluting our waters, these rains can also bring the additional risk of erosion and flooding. It’s important for businesses to do everything they can now to mitigate the potential consequences of heavy rains. Take these steps to prevent erosion, flooding, and sediment pollution.
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Protect any sloped areas to prevent flooding and sediment from being washed by rain into our storm drain system. If time allows, protect them from stormwater runoff by using temporary barriers like sandbags, straw wattles, and mulch. Learn more through the County’s brochure on how to Protect Your Property Against Flooding.
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Clear storm drains of vegetation, litter, and built-up sediment to prevent blockages.
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Ensure your temporary erosion prevention techniques remain in place and are still in working order. Replace or refresh them as needed.
The County of San Diego appreciates everything its business owners and operators do to protect our waterways throughout the year, and especially during our rainy season! Check out Alert San Diego and the County of San Diego’s webpage for other business (and homeowner) emergency preparedness tips on flooding, wildfires, earthquakes, and more.
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