Stormwater Pollution Prevention – Page 4

Not all learning has to be done in a classroom and we can always learn new things at any age in our life! This is why we’ve curated a list of educational online resources for learners of all ages. In true Flows to Bay fashion, these resources involve the many various topics under the umbrella of stormwater pollution prevention. Check it out below and contact us if there’s any that we’ve left out of the list!

All about Water: Waterways, Water Systems, and Water Resources

U.S. EPA’s Darby Duck and the Aquatic Crusaders includes seven experiments to learn about the characteristics of water and how it interacts with other elements in the environment, some of which pollute it and cause problems for people and animals.
Water Quality Backyard Activity Guide explores the topic of water quality in your area with activities both on and off the worksheet.
National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Earth & Environment Classroom Resources has a collection of resources to help your child understand the science behind water and its role in our environment.
Skype a Scientist is a resource that includes thousands of scientists from around the world. You choose the desired science field you want to discuss and you can virtually meet with a scientist from the comfort of your living room!
NASA’s Climate Kids – Water Section has lessons, games, and videos that engage children in the topic of water and observing where Earth’s water is found – and how that is changing over time.

Aquatic Life and Ecosystems

seal with its head above the ocean water

Aquarium of the Pacific’s Aquarium Webcam helps students get to know the animals who live in the ocean by viewing live footage from this aquarium.
The Nature Conservancy’s Virtual Field Trips takes you around the world to discover a coastal ecosystem in Peru, the coral reefs of Palau, and more. This resource contains a video, teacher guide, and student activities for each field trip.
Monterey Bay Aquarium has games, coloring pages, guided activities, and free online courses to connect your child with aquatic life and ecosystems.
Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) offers live video of Axial Seamont, the most advanced underwater volcanic observatory in the world’s oceans! Also available are archives of previously recorded videos and online data investigations.
Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) made this coloring book about local wildlife! This not only is a great educational resource for kids, it’s also a relaxing activity for adults.

Watersheds

U.S. EPA’s Watershed Academy has self-paced training modules and webcast seminars that provide current information from national experts across a broad range of watershed topics.
National Environmental Education Foundation’s Interactive Watershed Sleuth Challenge is a three-part course where participants will learn more about their watershed—what it is, why it’s important, and what can be done to protect it. Upon completion of a course level, participants will earn a digital badge to show off their watershed knowledge.
Discover Water’s Explore Watersheds is an interactive website that teaches children about watersheds and how actions within watersheds have effects elsewhere.
Project WET’s Home Water Lesson called “Seeing Watersheds” teaches children about watersheds through an interactive lesson taught by Miss Rainey.
Grassroots Ecology helps students become “Watershed Warriors” through a lesson plan that prompts students to create a simple watershed model at home and study patterns of water flow to better understand how pollution ends up in the bay.

Connecting Runoff and Pollution

aerial photo of a city with many houses, streets, and water around it

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) provides an online resource (K-12 and above) of lessons, articles, activities, and games related to “Chemicals and Pollutants” and “River and Stream Pollution.”
Storm Drain Maze makes the connection between rain and storm drains by being instructed to lead the water droplet through the maze and into the storm drain.
Pollution Prevention Word Search helps students become familiar with the various topics involved in preventing pollution.
Grassroots Ecology has insightful lesson plans on this topic: 1) “Water in Our Environment” explains how water moves through our environment, including the different fates of water flowing down the drains in our homes and water running off the streets during storms; 2) “Who Dirtied the Bay” discusses current sources of pollution and what students can do to help.
Stormwater Crossword integrates various concepts and facts about stormwater, where it goes, how it becomes pollution, and more.

Effects of Litter and Preventing it from Entering our Waterways

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Understanding Marine Debris Activity Book engages your child in various topics involving marine debris such as identifying the problem, seeing what a healthy and unhealthy coral reef looks like, how long it takes marine debris to decompose, and what happens to marine life when they come across litter in their habitat.
U.S. EPA’s Beach Kids teaches students how to protect beaches through litter prevention.

Lawn & Garden / Pest Management

Ladybug on green leaf defocused background

Grassroots Ecology has a lesson called “Bugs in Our Ecosystems,” which helps students learn about the critical roles of bugs in our local ecosystems by playing different fact-matching games and searching for their own bug close to home.
Our Water Our World has an “Ask Our Expert” resource that connects you with an expert from the Bio-Integral Resource Center, which specializes in the development and communication of least-toxic, sustainable, and environmentally sound IPM methods.
Pest or Pal? Activity Book has various activities including a crossword puzzle, word scramble, fun facts, bug jokes, and more that involve the topic of helpful and harmful bugs.
The Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program has a helpful and easy to follow chart for you to learn what natural enemy to introduce to help specific pest problems.

Proper Disposal of Household Hazardous Waste

Hazardous Waste Sudoku helps with understanding what is considered hazardous waste by completing a sudoku with a correlated symbol.
Oil Recycling Center Maze engages students in an interactive way to learn that used motor oil needs to go to a recycling center.

Do you want to share an educational resource about stormwater pollution prevention? Contact us here!

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and current shelter-in-place directives, many of us may be finding ourselves with some extra time at home. Luckily, we have a whole host of activities that will keep your family active and engaged, while keeping pollution prevention top of mind.

Read on for 5 water wise ideas for how you can easily make a positive impact from your home and have fun while doing it!

1) Work on Your Garden

Spend some time improving your yard to keep your landscape healthy and also protect our local creeks, the San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean. There are many ways you can do this:

Cover bare soil or “patchy” areas with mulch or plants to prevent runoff
Create a small soil berm in a ring around new plants to contain water
Incorporate more permeable materials (like permeable pavers) into your patios, driveway, and walkways
Terrace steep slopes to slow down runoff – this can also be a great way to create stepped veggie or flower gardens if you have steeper slopes
Avoid the use of synthetic fertilizers by making your own compost pile for natural fertilization
Plant drought-resistant plants
Avoid the use of (and remove!) plants considered invasive in our local ecosystem

Click here to learn more about how the practices you adopt in your yard can help the Bay and Ocean.

2) Connect with Nature

Take your kids outside. Spend 15 minutes quietly observing the sights and sounds of the birds, trees, grass, and wind. Do you see an ant? Where is it going, and what is it doing? We are often so wrapped up in our busy lives that we miss small moments of beauty happening all around us all the time. After your observation, encourage your kids to write or draw, reflecting on their observations. This can be a great way to spend a peaceful moment outside with your child — just remember, “we have to remain quiet so we don’t scare the birds away.” 😉

When your moment of nature appreciation ends, our “Kids’ Corner” section of the Outreach Materials page on the new www.flowstobay.org website has resources and information to help keep your little ones entertained, including an interactive game, downloadable activity pages, activity books, and links to other fun and educational sites.

3) Plan a Rain Garden

Now is a great time to go the extra mile to prevent stormwater pollution! We suggest that you consider doing this through a rain garden.

What’s a rain garden? It’s actually exactly what you think it is! It’s a garden that collects rainwater directly from your roof, which makes it self-sufficient and low-maintenance. Beyond that, the native vegetation planted in rain gardens collects rainwater and absorbs it into the ground, which recharges local and regional aquifers and decreases the amount of stormwater runoff that reaches your storm drain. Other benefits of a rain garden include:

Helps protect communities from flooding and drainage problems
Supports the health of local waterways from pollutants carried by stormwater
Provides valuable habitat for birds, butterflies, and many beneficial insects

What’s more, your future rain garden may earn you a rebate of up to $300 if you’re a resident of a participating jurisdiction. Click here to learn more about the updated Lawn Be Gone! Program and how to get started on a rain garden.

4) Spring Cleaning with Less-Toxic Alternatives

Did you know that you don’t always have to use those brand name products to get the job done? And that they also can harm our local waterways? There are plenty of less-toxic cleaning alternatives to help you with your Spring Cleaning while supporting the protection of local creeks, the San Francisco Bay, the Pacific Ocean, and your family!

Where should you start? Check out this helpful resource to help guide you by task and ingredient. Some of these safer alternatives can be used as laundry detergent, glass cleaner, carpet cleaner, and floor polish!

5) Proper Disposal of Cleaning Wipes and Related Items

With the emphasis of sanitation to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, you may be finding yourself using cleaning wipes more often.

Don’t flush these wipes down the toilet, even if they say they are supposedly “flushable”
Don’t flush diapers, paper towels, tissues, and napkins
The only item that should be flushed in the toilet is toilet paper

Improper disposal of these items can wreak havoc on our sewer system. Sewer systems are only designed to accommodate toilet paper because it disintegrates quickly in water—other items will clog pipes and can lead to backups that can damage property and pollute local creeks. Be kind to our sewer systems and practice proper disposal!

Have questions about this blog? Email us at info@flowstobay.org!

In partnership with the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) and their San Mateo Environmental Learning Collaborative (SMELC), Flows To Bay is supporting the Sustainable Watersheds teacher fellowship.

(SMELC) is a series of paid teacher fellowships that build teacher capacity for designing and delivering learning experiences that are student centered, problem-project-based, solutions-oriented, and integrate real-world environmental justice issues.

The Sustainable Watersheds fellowship (just one of 6 topics being offered) starts with a 4-day Summer Institute from August 3 – 6, 2020. This professional learning intensive centers around building knowledge and skills, and designing Solutionary Units of Study through hands-on activities and workshops.

After the Summer Institute, teachers are provided ongoing support for planning and implementation through coaching, content knowledge development, and collaboration throughout the fall school semester. The fellowship culminates with a capstone event where fellows share their piloted unit of study and findings with one another.

San Mateo County teachers who complete the 6-month fellowship program are awarded a $500 stipend funded by Flows To Bay. Teachers from any grade level from K-12 in all subject areas are invited to apply today.

SMELC 2020-21 Cohorts run from Summer 2020 to February 2021 and applications are due by June 1, 2020. Click here to apply today or learn more about this program and other available topics on the SMELC website.

All Household Hazardous Waste events have been canceled for the duration of the Health Officer’s Order and for some additional time once the Order is lifted. You can check in with San Mateo County’s Household Hazardous Waste Program here for up-to-date notifications.

However, during this time as we are staying indoors, it is important to remember that not all products are safe to be disposed of in your trash can or landfill. For these accepted toxic waste items, we recommend safely storing these items in your home until the centers are reopened for collection.

Here are important tips for storing these materials:

DO:

DO keep the containers tightly sealed. If there are spills or leaks, store that container separately and use kitten litter to absorb the spills.
DO keep products in their original containers and keep all the labels on. This helps you to remember what everything is and it also helps the HHW workers.
DO store HHW out of reach and out of sight from pets and children.
DO follow the storage directions provided by the manufacturer (i.e. do not allow to freeze, do not store in humid areas).

DO NOT:

DO NOT store products in food containers.
DO NOT mix products together. Mixing products could be very dangerous.
DO NOT store products near sun exposure, heat, flames or sparks.
DO NOT smoke in areas of your home where HHW products are stored.

The EPA and FEMA have more resources on proper HHW storage.

A simple yet powerful way that you can protect your local environment and yourself is to make sure that we dispose of this toxic waste at our local collection centers. Thank you for helping us to keep these toxic materials from entering and polluting our waterways.

Stay safe and healthy,

The Flows To Bay Team

Water resources are crucial to San Mateo County. Water provides recreation to San Mateo County residents and visitors. It is also home to many types of wildlife, including endangered species like silver salmon, steelhead trout, and California red-legged frog.

Protecting our water resources is everyone’s responsibility. Each day, a variety of toxic pollutants are washed from streets and parking lots into storm drains. The storm drains prevent flooding by sending this run-off to the local creeks and then the Bay or Ocean, but this water is NOT treated. Therefore, pollutants ultimately reach the Bay or Ocean as well. Through the success of the city and county stormwater programs in the Bay Area, the water quality of the Bay will improve. With improved water quality, the marine ecosystem will become healthier. A healthier marine ecosystem will enhance the quality of life for all residents around the Bay and in the Ocean.

Read below to learn more about water pollution prevention.

What is Stormwater?

Stormwater runoff is any water, either through rain, sprinklers, or irrigation of yards/gardens, that falls and is transported over land and pavement into local waterbodies through the storm drain system. Any water that flows into a storm drain is deposited into creeks, the Bay, or the Pacific Ocean without treatment.

What is Urban Runoff?

Urban runoff is stormwater that picks up various urban pollutants: automobile pollutants, pesticides, fertilizers, trash, soap, and any other material or chemical, on its way into a storm drain or waterway. This happens because impervious surfaces like parking lots, roads, buildings, pavement, and compacted soil, do not allow water to infiltrate into the ground. Once urban runoff enters the storm drain, it goes directly into the nearest body of water.

Where does pollution come from?

Pollution can be generated from various different types of items and activities that we do in and around our homes. Below is a short list of some of the most common ones.

Mercury from broken fluorescent lamps, old batteries, and thermometers
Litter and trash that is not properly discarded or recycled
Leaking oil, antifreeze, and gasoline from cars
Pesticides and herbicides from your home and garden
Oil from leaking trash containers at restaurants
Motor oil waste from oil changes on cars, lawn mowers, and small equipment
Soaps and other chemicals
Copper dust from auto brake pads
Rubber tire dust from auto tires
Leaves and lawn clippings
Pet waste

Is there a difference between the storm drain and sewer system?

Yes—an important difference. Stormwater and all the pollutants that flow from our homes, parking lots and streets to the gutter into the storm drains discharge directly into our creeks and other water bodies…untreated. Water and pollutants that flow into the sanitary sewer, such as water from our bathtubs and toilet, are sent to wastewater treatment facility before the water is discharged to creeks, the Bay, or Ocean.

What is the history of the development of stormwater systems?

In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, combined sewers were built to convey and dispose of both sanitary sewage and stormwater. Eventually, local governments began to separate storm flows from wastewater flows and separate sanitary sewer and storm sewer systems replaced combined sewer systems in many areas. Early municipal storm sewer systems were designed to discharge stormwater rapidly, and included such physical elements as curbs, gutters, inlets, storm sewers, roadside ditches, and concrete and grass-lined open channels.

Thinking began to change in the 1960’s and 1970’s with the recognition that efficient stormwater systems also transferred problems downstream. With a need to reduce the rate and volume of these stormwater discharges, many local governments started requiring new developments to construct stormwater detention facilities. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, stormwater quality became a focus of federal regulatory requirements and local governments have had to develop stormwater quality programs in response.

What is a Watershed?

A watershed is the land that water flows over or through on its way to a creek, delta, bay, or ocean. Everyone lives in a watershed, and everything that happens in the watershed affects water quality and habitat quality for fish, birds, and other living things. See the video below to learn more about what a watershed is and explore the various watersheds in San Mateo County here.

What is the Clean Water Act and what does it do?

The objective of the Clean Water Act is “To restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.” The Act established the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program to regulate discharges, including urban runoff, and stormwater. Industrial facilities, construction sites, and urban areas with more than 100,000 people must control the amount of pollutants entering their storm drain systems.

Industrial facilities and construction sites are regulated by the State Water Resources Control Board through general stormwater permits. Cities and counties are regulated through permits issued by the Regional Water Quality Control Boards.

For San Mateo County: San Francisco Bay Regional Quality Control Board.

The start of the rainy season often elicits a strange mix of emotions. On one hand, it brings us a sense of relief and revitalization at the end of the fire season. On the other hand, it’s accompanied by heightened concerns over localized flooding and episodes of water pollution. Though not always obvious to the common observer, all throughout the dry season, trash, motor oil, other vehicle fluids, fertilizers, industrial chemicals, particulates, pet waste and more have accumulated in our streets and neighborhoods. When the rains arrive these pollutants have an enthusiastic vehicle for their transport and deposition in our Bay and ocean.

Most streets are engineered with curve or “crown” to prevent flooding by helping water flow towards gutters and storm drains. Unfortunately, this clever engineering solution designed to prevent flooding also makes it easier for pollution to get to the Bay and ocean. Streets, sidewalks, parking lots and other impervious surfaces not only convey water quickly when it rains, but also become conduits for pollutants. While there are small and easy things we can do to address many of the pollutants that impact our environment and health, one, in particular, stands out among the others in terms of the level of impact it has in our waterways. Fortunately, it’s also one of the easiest to take action on.

Can you guess the culprit? We’re talking about trash and debris. Plastic food packaging and other single-use plastics are especially pernicious once free in the environment, but all types of trash and debris that are haphazardly disposed of (or poorly managed) can end up in the stormwater system and eventually in a nearby creek, or directly in the Bay or ocean. Even leaves and yard clippings can contribute to the problem. When trash accumulates in our streets or sidewalks and flows down the storm drain, it either disappears into a pipe headed for a larger body of water or it gets stuck on top of the drain causing a backup. Localized flooding at the end of a block or at an intersection can happen very quickly this way. Perhaps you’ve seen it in your neighborhood.

How do we solve this flooding problem?

One way to get involved and make a difference that may also convince others to change their own habits is to adopt a drain on your block! A few cities around the county have Adopt-A-Drain programs in place that make lending a hand in your community really easy. If you live in Belmont, Burlingame, San Mateo, or South San Francisco you may have already heard about these programs. If not, you can click on one of the cities above to get more details about the program.

While cities in San Mateo County have regular street maintenance to help keep gutters and storm drains clear of trash and debris, Adopt-A-Drain programs look for resident volunteers to lend a hand to help minimize localized flooding during rain events, prevent stormwater pollution, and keep our communities looking clean. Residents can help by adopting a storm drain near home or work and by keeping the top area of the grate clear of trash and leaves. You can also report flooding or illegal dumping if you see it happening near your locale.

What do you do if your area doesn’t have an Adopt-A-Drain program?

Adopting a drain is one of the easiest things you can do! You don’t need an official program to protect your neighborhood from flooding, all you need is a bucket, some rubber gloves, and a rake (optional)! Encourage others in your community to do the same by posting your efforts on Nextdoor.

If you’re a storm drain warrior, we want to hear from you! Tell us about your efforts to reduce flooding and keep your neighborhood clean. Email us at info@flowstobay.org with details and pictures so we can feature your hard work.

Questions, comments? Need help getting in touch with the right person in your city? We’re here to help! Contact us here.

Come one! Come all! Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) is nearly upon us, and if you haven’t participated previously, you’ll definitely want to mark this Saturday, September 21 on your calendar!

This family-friendly cleanup is the largest volunteer event in California. By leveraging the power of collective, state-wide participation, CCD aims to bring awareness to human impacts on the marine environment and the cascading effects that litter and pollution have on our aquatic ecosystems. Last year in California alone, 66,535 volunteers removed 839,632 pounds of garbage from our beautiful beaches! This year, we’re looking to beat those numbers but we need your help to get these top 10 polluters off the beach.

Cleanups are held all over San Mateo County: beaches, creeks, waterways, parks, and neighborhoods. Families are encouraged to bring their children, as this family-friendly event is a great opportunity to learn about litter and how to prevent pollution from ending up in our local waterways.

When: All Coastal Cleanup Day events are on Saturday, September 21st from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. (unless otherwise noted).

Where: Over 40 sites throughout San Mateo County!

How to Volunteer: Volunteers should pre-register by selecting a site and RSVPing directly with the site captain. You can use this link to find a volunteer location and your captain’s contact information. You can also register on the day of the cleanup. If you are a large group, please contact the site captain first.

Prepare for the event:

Waiver Forms – Every participant is required to sign a waiver form. Waivers will be provided at your site by the site captain the day of the event, but to make your check-in faster, you may print, sign and bring the following waiver with you. All volunteers under the age of 18 must have the waiver form signed by a parent or legal guardian before participating in a cleanup. English and Spanish waivers.
Bring/Wear – If you can, consider carpooling, biking, or taking public transit to your location and bring your own buckets, gloves, and reusable water bottle to help reduce our overall footprint during the event! Wear comfortable closed-toe shoes and bring sunscreen and/or a hat.
Day Of – Check-in at your site location’s sign-in table to receive direction from a site captain. Listen to the safety orientation, have fun and be safe!

San Mateo County’s Coastal Cleanup Day is organized in conjunction with the California Coastal Commission, the Ocean Conservancy, and many statewide and local partners.

For more information, visit San Mateo County Health.

Chances are you’ve walked a dog or know someone who has in your lifetime. Dogs are undeniably great; they’re cute, they love us unconditionally, and they get us out of the house.

And while some dogs are smart enough to learn remarkable commands and do amazing tricks, they rely on responsible pet owners to make sure their waste gets properly cleaned up and disposed of.

Leaving poop unscooped can be tempting, especially when your pup is sick or off-leash and out-of-sight for just long enough to do the doo but not long enough to verify where it’s located. We’ve all been there. Even the owner of a local poop scooper business, DoodyCalls, knows that feeling! As a young man in the 1970s, Rick and his friends would bury dog poop in the yard or toss it in a creek that flowed behind their homes. But now, as the owner of a business that aims to remedy this issue, Rick realizes the drawbacks of this behavior.

There are multiple problems that stem from leaving pet poop unscooped.

Unlike wild animal poop, dog feces are PACKED with extra nutrients. Want proof? Wild animals are healthy when they are able to look for food all day. Your dog stays healthy when it’s able to eat a little bit in the morning, nap most of the day, chase a ball for a bit and then eat again. If two small meals are all it takes to keep your dog healthy, they must be nutrient-rich and well balanced! Leaving poop on the ground creates perfect nutrient hotspots for invasive plants to flourish.
Rats love it too! When rats can’t get into your garbage cans or homes, they are easily attracted to any food sources that are available. And when they don’t find a wicker basket full of fine wine, cheese, and bread, these rodents can settle for the undigested pieces of kibble found in abandoned dog waste (they’re not picky eaters). Leaving pet waste unscooped leads to uninvited rodent guests looking for dinner.
Pet waste that doesn’t get picked up, can ultimately end up in our waterways. Urban and stormwater runoff can wash pet waste down storm drains and into streams, creeks, the San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean untreated. Why does this matter? According to the EPA, pet waste contains bacteria that threaten the health of animals and people, especially children. Diseases that can be transmitted from pet waste include salmonellosis, toxocariasis, and toxoplasmosis. Not picking up after your dog can have some sickly consequences for beach-goers and aquatic animals alike.

Pet waste is one of the largest contributors to water quality problems in San Mateo County—but it’s one that each of us can help correct. Picking up your pet’s waste and properly disposing of it in the waste (not compost) receptacle is just one of the ways you can make a difference in our County’s water quality.

But if you need another motivator to pick up your own dog’s waste—do it for the stretch:

Do you have other creative ways of picking up after your pet? We’d love to hear from you! You can email info@flowstobay.org with your thoughts, questions, and concerns.

Sometimes doing things ourselves means we can be more creative, efficient, and smarter with our resources. For example, making food at home rather than getting takeout can reduce waste by eliminating unnecessary driving and the need for single-use packaging. But when it comes to washing your car at home, this weekend chore can actually become a huge source of water waste and contribute to water pollution.

While it may feel like washing it yourself is the better choice, taking your vehicle to a commercial car wash is the much more environmentally-friendly and water-wise option.

Car Washing At Home

So how can commercial washes, with their giant hoses and huge machines, use less water than you would at home with your yard hose and sponge?

Washing your car at home uses about 12 gallons of water per minute when using a basic 50 feet hose that is half an inch in diameter. This amount almost doubles at 22 gallons per minute if your hose is 5/8 of an inch in diameter (Curious about how much water your garden hose uses? Check out this nifty flow rate chart!). Ultimately, using a garden hose can contribute to a lot of water waste! A short 10-minute car wash can amount to more than 100 gallons of water.

To add insult to injury, all of that water is very likely running off your driveway, sidewalk, or street, and into a nearby storm drain. Water from car washing can contain many elements that are unsafe for natural waterways. This includes dirt, oil, metals (copper, nickel, and zinc), other car fluids—and of course—soapy phosphates and chlorides from carwash soap. All these pollutants get carried by the water into a storm drain and then flow directly into nearby creeks or other waterways.

How Are Commercial Car Washes Any Better?

Commercial washers are equipped with high-pressure hoses and sophisticated machinery that limits the amount of water used. An automatic car wash will use about 30-45 gallons of water per vehicle according to a 2018 study by the International Carwash Association, typically less than half the amount of washing it at home.

The water savings don’t stop there. Instead of the water draining into local waterways, commercial car washes have ground drains where water is collected. The water is then taken to a treatment facility plant, where it can be filtered and reused. At least 60% of the water must go through this facility and be recycled and reused as required by California Law.

Eco-Friendly Car Washing At Home

Okay—so maybe you’re not a fan of paying to have your car washed. If you would rather wash your car at home, there are a few things you can do that will lower your water waste and water pollution. Here are 4 important tips for the do-it-yourselfers:

Wash your car with a bucket instead of a hose;
Use biodegradable soap;
Wash your car on grass, gravel, or another porous surface that will help absorb the water and make sure it doesn’t go down a storm drain;
Wash your car using waterless cleaners (these new cleaners are designed to be sprayed onto your car and then wiped off with a rag—no water needed!)

If you’ve found more ways to reduce pollution, conserve more water while washing your car at home, or if you have thoughts about commercial car washing, please send your tips and comments to info@flowstobay.org.

Summer’s officially arrived in San Mateo County! The start of the beach season also brings the 2019 Heal The Bay Beach Report Card. This report tells us which California beaches make the water quality grade. If you plan on hitting the beaches this summer, read on to understand which beaches to watch out for and how you can help make a difference in improving our local beaches and their water quality.

The Good

The good news is that since the 2018 report, San Mateo reduced the number of beaches on the “Beach Bummer” list by 50%, going from four down to two. A significant improvement in just one year.

The Bad

The bad news? San Mateo County still has two beaches of the top 10 Bummer list for all of California beaches. Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica is once again the #3 worst beach and received an “F” grade. Linda Mar Beach is impacted by runoff during dry weather, which flows untreated into the Pacific Ocean through San Pedro Creek. The second beach to make the list with a “D” grade is Parkside Aquatic Park in the city of San Mateo. Making the “Beach Bummer” list in 2014, Aquatic Park is surrounded on all sides by residential housing, making it heavily impacted by runoff. The City of San Mateo has a goose control program in place to reduce the impact that goose excrement has on water quality. Aquatic Park is also one of five San Francisco Bay beaches with a bacteria total maximum daily load (TMDL) in place. The TMDL is a regulatory term, describing a plan for restoring impaired waters by identifying a maximum amount of a pollutant a body of water can receive while meeting water quality standards. In the case of Aquatic Park, the pollutant is bacteria.

And The Ugly

Where things get a bit ugly is that beachgoers who come in contact with polluted waters have a much higher risk of contracting illnesses like ear infections, skin rashes, and the stomach flu, to name a few. Though there are multiple pathways for pollutants to reach our creeks, the Bay, and the ocean, stormwater runoff can be a significant contributor to poor water quality by flushing contaminants and bacteria from our streets into urban waterways. Runoff doesn’t always mean water from rainstorms, either. During the rain-free months, runoff can include water from garden hoses, irrigation systems, and any water that finds its way into a storm drain. As it flows, stormwater runoff collects and transports animal waste, litter, pesticides, fertilizers, automotive fluids, and other potential pollutants into our waterways. Pollution in runoff can make water bodies in San Mateo County unsafe for fishing, swimming, and other recreational activities.

How You Can Help

“Protecting our water resources is everyone’s responsibility. Each resident of San Mateo County can show pride in their local beaches by doing their part in preventing stormwater pollution,” said Matthew Fabry, Manager of the San Mateo Countywide Water Pollution Prevention Program.

Organizations, such as Pacific Beach Coalition are leading the way in cleaning up trash and litter. These groups coordinate and host monthly beach cleanups. Can’t make it to a beach clean up? You can still make a difference and help improve water quality at our beaches with simple action at home such as:

Picking up after your pet (dog, cat, goose, or otherwise)
Reducing pesticide usage or replacing your pesticide with a non-toxic alternative
Taking your car to the car wash instead of washing it at home
Cleaning up litter from the streets
Maintaining your vehicle so it doesn’t leak auto fluids onto the streets