Watershed Protection Program

Collage of different image pertaining to Clean Water

What's New? 

Buena Vista Creek Restoration Planning Project

 

 In April 2020, the City was awarded State funds from the Department of Water Resources Urban Streams Restoration grant program to develop a streambank restoration project for a section of Buena Vista Creek in southeast Oceanside. The City of Oceanside has partnered with the Buena Vista Audubon Society and Dudek to design a project that will help improve existing riparian habitat, enhance water quality, and provide recreational and educational opportunities for the surrounding community to enjoy. The current planning grant is the first phase in preparing the project to competitively secure future State and/or Federal funding for its construction.

Community Outreach for the Buena Vista Creek Restoration Planning

The City will host two public workshops to advertise the project’s features and benefits, and to seek community input on the final restoration vision. However, due to the recent rise in Coivd-19 cases the first outreach event will be an online digital presentation for the community to access at any time throughout the duration of the project. The informational video will provide details to the public about the goals, objectives, and constraints of the preferred restoration design and recreational opportunities for the project site. Staff will post the informational video soon. An online survey has also been created to coincide with the presentation for community members to submit questions or comments (see project resources below).

The first digital presentation is posted below in the project resource section. 

The City will host a second follow up workshop (in-person or virtual) in Summer 2022 following the completion of technical studies and design based on feedback from the first presentation.

Project Resources

If you have input, please submit your comments at the following survey link below. Comments are due by March 31, 2022.

For additional information, please contact the Project Manager, Bronti Cash at 760-435-5914 or bcash@oceansideca.org

Watershed Protection Program Overview 

The goal of the Oceanside Watershed Protection Program is to improve water quality in our local creeks, rivers, and the ocean, and comply with state and regional environmental regulations. This multi-faceted program is designed to achieve this goal by educating the community about pollution prevention practices. Targeted audiences for this program include industrial and commercial businesses, developers, municipal staff, residents, students, and teachers.

The Watershed Protection Program oversees the following tasks:

  • Water Quality Monitoring
  • Inspections of construction sites and industrial and commercial businesses
  • Education outreach to businesses, developers, residents, children, teachers, and municipal staff
     

Stormwater Pollution

As a coastal community, Oceanside relies on clean water for its residents, healthy beaches, public safety, and a desirable environment for wildlife. When it rains, many of the pollutants that lurk on sidewalks, streets, parking lots, and yards wash down the storm drains, and into the nearest body of water. Unfortunately, storm drains do not filter water or debris and are not connected to the sewer system. So, any pollutant that flows into the storm drain system eventually ends up in our rivers, creeks and ocean.

Watershed Protection Program and Code Enforcement Staff actively investigate reports of landscape irrigation runoff, illegal dumping and other storm drain pollution concerns. Residents and business are encouraged to report any incidents of stormwater pollution at once to help protect water quality and public health in Oceanside.

To report an Illicit Discharge, Illegal Dumping, irrigation runoff or any other stormwater related concern, call Customer Care, our urban runoff hotline, at (760) 435-4500 customercare@oceansideca.org. After hours, holidays and on weekends, these calls are answered through the Oceanside Police Department.
 
Alternatively, the County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health responds to complaints at (888) 846-0800. This hotline is answered Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and provides a voice mail message for 24-hour public access in both English and Spanish.

Oceanside residents, businesses, and developers can work together to change a few habits that will benefit our health, our families, and our community. Remember, you are the solution to storm water pollution.

Loma Alta Slough Wetlands Enhancement Project

The City of Oceanside is developing a wetland enhancement design for the Loma Alta Slough located between Coast Highway and Pacific Street. The purpose of the project is to expand coastal wetland habitat and improve public access through trails and educational signage. 

Draft CEQA Documentation Available for Public Comment

The City has released the project’s draft Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration for public review to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Public comments will be accepted from Monday March 15, 2021 to Wednesday April 14 at 5PM. Please visit the City’s Environmental Documents page to access documentation and for instructions on how to submit comments.

Materials Available from September 2020 Webinar

City staff hosted a public webinar for the project on September 17, 2020. The virtual meeting included information from the project Feasibility Study and presentation on the preferred wetland restoration site design. Updates were provided on the project schedule, including information on how to submit public comments on the project’s forthcoming CEQA document.  Please use the links below to access the project Feasibility Study, a recording of the virtual meeting and the presentation slides. 

The City welcomes ongoing feedback on this integrative habitat enhancement project. If you have input for this project, please submit an interactive Comment Card found at the link below. For additional information, please contact the Project Manager, Justin Gamble at (760)-435-5093 or jgamble@oceansideca.org.

Loma Alta Wetlands Comment Card

Project Overview Poster

Related Projects Poster

FINAL Loma Alta Slough Feasibility Study 2020

September 17, 2020 Public Meeting - Presentation Slides

September 17, 2020 Public Meeting - Recorded Video

Garrison Creek Native Habitat Restoration Project 

The City of Oceanside is undertaking a habitat restoration project on a portion of Garrison Creek in the Loma Alta watershed. The project includes 28 acres of invasive vegetation removal and native planting to improve native biodiversity and habitat for the federal-and-state-endangered southwestern willow flycatcher and least bell’s vireo. 

The City is working with Nature Collective, a regional environmental nonprofit organization, to implement the project. Nature Collective’s role includes restoration design, invasive removal and long-term monitoring of the project site. The Friends of El Corazon (FELC) is a local citizens group that will mobilize volunteers to assist the Nature Collective with invasive vegetation removal and restoration planting.

Report any water running in the street when it is not raining or someone dumping something in the storm drain or curb and gutter by calling the
Urban Runoff Hotline at (760) 435-4500.

For all other stormwater related concerns, please contact us at WatershedProtection@oceansideca.org.