Watch what is put into curbside gutters. The stuff that does a good job on our car, lawn, carpet or swimming pool may be disastrous downstream. Promptly report illegal dumping, clogged storm drains and sewage spills. Make an effort to shore up landscaped slopes. Slow runoff with revetments - leaves, mulch or other materials that let rainwater replenish the soil, nurturing vegetation that helps protect air and water quality.
Pollution usually happens without our awareness, making prevention difficult.
But as trash piles grow higher, bacteria and viruses grow deadlier and fish and wildlife stop growing, we'll find that costs for not conserving natural resources grow wildly. Combating erosion's muddy ways means taking personal initiative to protect San Diego's quality of life. That's right, we have to become stewards of the land, guardians of the environment that belongs to all of us. Whenever a weedy marsh is traded for resort recreation or a creek is buried for commercial development, natural wetland bio-filtration that purifies polluted runoff is lost forever. Trained in ecology and erosion control technology, Clean Water Ambassadors reach out to neighbors, business operators and construction crews with helpful alternatives that serve environmental justice and enhance community quality of life.