What’s a watershed? Any area which drains into a waterway or water body. For example, much of the Westside is in the Ballona Creek Watershed, a 130-square mile area from the Santa Monica Mountains and downtown LA that drains to Ballona Creek and Santa Monica Bay. It’s a place of people, pavement, buildings, and open space – both a dense urban area and an ecosystem.
Here are a few ways we can help restore ecological health and livability to our watersheds, conserving and improving water and open space in the process:

1. Buy thoughtfully to reduce trash and pollution. Your dollar holds a lot of power. Buying recycled, recyclable, non-toxic and “green” goods can significantly reduce the sea of pollution and trash that fouls our watershed, beaches, and ocean.
2. Keep trash in the container. Avoid over-filling. Contained trash will be less likely to fall onto the street and end up in Ballona Creek and Santa Monica Bay. Our neighborhoods should not be trash bins.
3. Use a broom instead of a water-wasting hose or an air-polluting leaf blower to clean sidewalks and driveways. Collect garden debris for composting or recycling. Plant and soil materials can clog storm drains and pollute the bay.
4. Reduce lawn; plant with native species. Lawns can use high amounts of water, fertilizers and pesticides (which contaminate the watershed). Locally adapted native plants are easier to maintain with less water and provide attractive habitat for wildlife.
5. Reduce automobile trips. Most forms of pollution eventually make their way into the watershed. Use public transportation and walk, bike or skate. Take the Ballona Creek bikeway to work or the beach. Foregoing the car reduces pollution, while keeping us fit and connected with our natural environment.