Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Garden's Program is a volunteer-run landscape education, hands-on training, and advocacy program providing valuable information on how landscapes and hardscapes can be modified to prevent water pollution.
The goal of our Ocean Friendly Gardens program is to reduce Los Angeles County runoff and prevent it from contaminating our coastal waterways. Even if you live miles inland, the pollutants, trash, and runoff in your streets will eventually make their way into the ocean. Fortunately, you can take a water-wise, watershed approach and make changes to your landscape that help capture rainfall, reduce runoff and recharge our groundwater supply.
Urban runoff from lawns, gardens, streets and hardscape is the #1 source of ocean pollution.
One inch of rain falling on the roof of an average sized single family home can generate over 1,200 gallons of runoff. As this runoff travels through our urban landscape it picks up pollutants and bacteria that cause 20,000+ beach closures + advisories nationwide every year.
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