Water
affects our environment, health and quality of life.
Within
the Santa Clara Valley, rainwater flows through storm drains,
local creeks and rivers, and ultimately enters untreated into
the San Francisco Bay. As rainwater flows to the Bay, it
brings man-made pollutants encountered in the watershed,
leading to urban runoff pollution.
The
Watershed Watch Campaign is a public education initiative of
the Santa Clara Valley Urban Runoff Pollution Prevention
Program (SCVURPPP), an association of thirteen cities and
towns in the Santa Clara Valley, Santa Clara County and the
Santa Clara Valley Water District.
Launched
in 2000, the Watershed Watch Campaign is a multi-year outreach
campaign designed to increase the public's awareness of
watersheds and the resource value of local creeks, ultimately
leading to behavior change. The Campaign educates
residents on urban runoff issues including pollution prevention
and pollutants of concern (e.g.: pesticides,
mercury, heavy metals and trash).
The
campaign follows a "partnership" approach and
coordinates its outreach with media, businesses and community
organizations. These organizations help augment Campaign
messages and reach through their newsletters, websites,
distribution of educational brochures and flyers, and by
offering incentives to people
practicing the desired pollution prevention behavior.
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