Alameda County Clean Water Outreach Program - Cynthia Butler

Alameda County Clean Water Outreach Program – Cynthia Butler
 
The main message of the Alameda County Clean Water Outreach Program is that everyone can do his/her part to ensure that only rainwater, not litter and chemicals, goes down the storm drain and into local creeks and the Bay.  Educating the public on the difference between the storm drain system and the sewer system is a major task for the Clean Water Outreach Program.
    Prior to COVID-19, the Program regularly attended local events (e.g., Castro Valley Fall Festival, Eden Night Live, Ashland FamFest, Castro Valley Farmers Market, Alameda County Fair, Alameda County Home and Garden Shows) to educate the public and provide educational materials.  Additionally, the Program engages youth through outdoors, hands-on learning, and supporting  community involvement in watershed protection (e.g., Regional Outreach Campaigns, Helpful Tips on the Website).
     
    The Clean Water Program also has an extensive school-age children outreach program and offer free Watershed Education Programs to Alameda County schools.  The Program works with the Earth Teams at Castro Valley High School and San Lorenzo High School to create a sustainable youth program, which includes paid internships for students.
     
    In 2015, the Alameda County Flood Control (ACFC) and Alameda County Water District (ACWCD) partnered with the Alameda County Resources for Community Development (ACRCD) and Fugro Consultants to create the Creek and Watershed Map of Western Alameda County.  In 2018, the ACFC and ACWCD partnered with the ACRCD, Fugro and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) to complete the Creek and Watershed Map of the Eastern Alameda Creek Watershed.  These highly interactive maps have multiple layers that users can navigate through to learn about local creeks and watersheds, historical points of interest and Flood Control Creek Restoration projects and can be accessed here. 
     
    Members are encouraged to explore these maps to learn about the history and status of the watersheds in Alameda County.  These maps are truly a great community resource and learning tool. 
     
    Since Cynthia’s presentation had so much information and so many photos of the work that the Clean Water Outreach Program is doing, members are strongly encouraged to watch the presentation and review the slides (links are listed below).
     
    Additional Information