Environmental Efforts

2018-19 Program Effectiveness Assessment and Improvement Plan 
>> View Report (pdf)

Watershed Home and Pollution Prevention 

Each area of Orange County belongs to one of eleven watersheds, conveying water to streams, lakes, rivers, and the ocean.  The OC Fair & Event Center calls home within the Newport Bay Watershed. Nearby receiving waters, like Upper and Lower Back Bay, help convey urban runoff directly to the Pacific Ocean.  Since urban runoff traveling through the watershed can pick up pollutants like trash, sediment, metals, fertilizers, and pesticides along the way, it is important that we all do our part in preventing pollution and protecting the watershed we call home. 

Making a difference one BMP at a time.

What is a BMP?

A BMP, or best management practice, is a technology or action that helps treat stormwater runoff before entering major water ways.  Here at the OC Fair & Event Center, we use a combination of BMPS (including street sweeping, trash pick-up, irrigation and fertilizer management, structures that filter stormwater, etc.) to help prevent pollutants from leaving our site. Be sure to check out the new Arlington Bioswale BMP Project designed to help filter runoff along Arlington Drive.

Sometimes there are greater concerns for a watershed.  Newport Bay has several Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) in place.  A “TMDL sets a limit for the total amount of a particular pollutant that can be discharged to a waterbody.  This limit ensures that pollutant loads from all sources will not impair the designated beneficial uses of the waterbody” (OC Watershed).  

The State of California amended their trash TMDL in 2017, adopting Trash Provisions to make sure trash and debris remains out of waterways.  To comply with these trash provisions, the Fairgrounds will install trash capture devices throughout the property that can capture debris as small as 5 mm (about the size of a cigarette!) 

Making differences at home and in public

It is very important to limit the amount of pollutants that enter our waterways to ensure the longevity and health of residents and wildlife in the area.  Helping out your local watershed can be as easy as disposing of trash and pet waste properly, using alternatives to pesticides, or sweeping dirt and leaves instead of hosing them away. 

Learn more about water quality efforts in the City of Costa Mesa or report stormwater pollution on the city’s website.  For more helpful water tips see the links below:

• OCFEC Environmental Policy
• H2OC Watershed 
• OCFEC Illicit Discharge  
• Proper Disposal of Household  
• Solutions to Runoff Pollution  
• Tips for Horse Care 
• Waterway Safe Landscaping 
• Sewage Spill Reference Guide
• Stormwater Educational Material
• Rain Check – Stormwater Pollution Prevention

Think you are a Stormwater expert? Take the quiz to test your Stormwater IQ!