WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS

Give the Gift of a Resilient Future: Cleaner Waterways 🎁🎄🌊♻️ As we prepare for the holidays, we naturally think of festivities, gathering with friends and family, and gift-giving! Many of the gifts we exchange are short-term in nature, but the gift of a resilient future can last a lifetime and beyond. Two key ways we can contribute to a resilient future are through environmental efforts like protecting and preserving our beautiful San Diego waterways!     Protecting our waterways today begins with simple actions we can take now to prevent stormwater pollution.  Everyday pollutants can be carried to storm drains and end up in our waterways and ocean. These include trash, pet waste, garden chemicals, and automobile fluids. Unlike sanitary sewers, water that flows into storm drains is not treated and can harm our waterways if we aren’t careful. Preserving our waterways for a resilient future begins with teaching our children early on about environmental issues affecting our community and educating them to be environmental stewards. Help ensure cleaner and healthier waterways by following these helpful tips and educational resources!

Actions to Protect Our Waterways Now

• Properly contain or dispose of outdoor pollutants such as trash, pet waste,and yard debris to prevent them from flowing into our storm drain system. If these pollutants reach our waterways they can contaminate aquatic habitats, create water flow problems that lead to flooding and erosion, and introduce harmful bacteria. Always carry dog waste bags with you and pick up after your pet. Properly dispose of both trash and pet waste in a trash bin. Sweep up leaves and plant debris and dispose of it in a green waste bin or compost it. Make sure all of your bins are covered to prevent items from blowing out and reaching our storm drains.
• Reduce the use of harmful garden chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides, which can cause damage to the environment if misused. Excess fertilizers in our waterways feed algae which grows rapidly on the surface, blocking out sunlight for plants and fish. Pesticides can contaminate soil, water, and other vegetation which can be harmful to wildlife and people. When possible, use less toxic alternatives to tackling pests and implement Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques which are less harmful ways to control pests. If you must use chemicals, follow the manufacturers’ instructions and only apply them when conditions are dry and there is little wind. Use compost or vermicompost (composting with worms) in place of fertilizers as a nutrient-rich soil amendment and to lock in moisture.
• Wash your car at a commercial car wash or on permeable surfaces. If not done properly, washing your car or performing other automobile maintenance at home can lead to soaps, oils, and other contaminants reaching the storm drain system. One key way to prevent this is to use a commercial car wash that treats or recycles its wastewater. You can also wash your car on permeable surfaces like a lawn, gravel, or pavers, so that the water can soak into the ground rather than run off. Repair leaks and dispose of used automobile fluids at your local Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) drop-off facility.

Creating the Next Generation of Environmental Stewards

Preparing for the holidays provides great learning opportunities to educate our kids to be environmental stewards of the future. Use this holiday break to teach your kids about how their everyday actions can help prevent stormwater pollution, improve water quality, and preserve the beauty of our County’s waterways and beaches for years to come. Engage kids in these hands-on holiday sustainability and waste reduction activities to keep holiday traditions alive and our waterways clean.

• Show kids the value of giving gifts of experience or making their own zero-waste gifts. Some do-it-yourself gift projects for kids include cookies in a jar, paper straws, and a variety of plastic-free holiday gifts. Grown-ups can learn how to make their own gifts too by registering for the upcoming UC Master Gardener Food Preserver webinar on how to Make & Preserve Holiday Food Gifts.
• Teach kids the value of repurposing/reusing gift wrap and packaging as they help you with your holiday gift-wrapping. Ideas include recycling cardboard packing boxes, reusing ribbons and gift bags, and replacing traditional gift wrap with alternative wrappings like newspaper or fabric. Check out these alternative gift wrapping options.
• Involve kids in meal planning and ways to reduce holiday food waste. Tips include preparing the right amount of food for your guests using Save The Food’s Guest-Imator for guidance, as well as composting food scraps and donating uneaten items to local food pantries. Kids can have fun learning how to reduce food waste and protect the environment with the EPA’s Food Is Too Good to Waste Activity Book.
• Instruct your kids on what items can and cannot be recycled to ensure trash and recyclables are properly sorted. Kids can learn about recycling by touring a recycling center, and reviewing the County’s Holiday Recycling What Goes Where Flyer and Recycle Right Webpage. Also, since many holiday items can easily blow into our storm drains or be removed by animals, instruct your kids to securely close recycling, trash, and green waste bins.
• Attend the many kids’ nature or environmental events or programs being held in December. Featured events include the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation Winter Discovery Camps, Tijuana Estuary Junior Rangers Program, Alta Vista Botanical Garden Kids in the Garden Class: Recycled Art, and City of La Mesa Clothing and Toy Swap. Make it a family affair and help with various beach and community cleanups being offered throughout the County.    

Happy Holidays to all our San Diego County residents! Thank you for the work you do throughout the year to help prevent water pollution and preserve the beauty and quality of our waterways for years to come.

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.