The Adventure of the Oceanside Creek Friends You Are the Solution to Water Pollution To find out more information on how you can help prevent storm water pollution, contact the City of Oceanside Clean Water Program 760-435-5800 City of Oceanside Water Utilities Department Clean Water Program 300 North Coast Highway Oceanside, CA 92057 760-435-5800 phone 760-435-5814 fax *City of Oceanside would like to thank Jim Whiting of Whiting Cartoons and Jeremy Kemp for their hard work on this activity book. Take a journey with the Oceanside creek friends and find out how you can help keep our water clean.
It was a normal day for Surfing Sam, the duck, and Simon, the turtle, at the creek, until they saw their friend Marina, the fish. What happened to you? asked Surfing Sam. I don t feel so well, sighed Marina. Did you eat something bad? The cleanup was a success and Marina became healthy again. Oh, I feel 100% better, thank you, she sang. You re welcome, said Jessica, but dirty water doesn t just make you sick, it makes us sick too at the beaches. Yeah, that s why we have to be careful about preventing storm water pollution. Jimmy, Jessica and Tyler went home for the day but promised to visit the creek friends all the time and start educating their family and friends.
You can help in the creek cleanup too. Find as many pollutants as you can in and around the creek. Look! exclaimed Simon, Look at all the pollutants in the water. What s a po-llu-tant? inquired Surfing Sam. They are things that make our water dirty, answered Simon. Well, what s making Marina sick? Let s take a look.. answered Simon.,
Bacteria that comes from pet poop, when people don t clean up after their pets, can spread disease and sicknesses. Hazardous chemicals from homes and businesses can pollute water if they are poured down the street or on the ground. Changing a cars oil, or other car fluid, then pouring it into the street, in a storm drain, or on the ground, can pollute water. Washing a car in the driveway, and letting the soapy water run down the street, takes oxygen out of the water. Most of the trash that people litter on streets, in parks, or other places, ends up in our water. The exhaust cars leave in the air settles on the ground and pollutes our water. These are some of the ways our water gets polluted... Jimmy, Jessica and Tyler were able to gather many family and friends to help clean the creek of litter and other large pollutants even the creek friends helped out. Wow, look at all this stuff, said Jessica with disgust. I know, this is gross. How can people just throw this stuff away in a place that s so pretty? sighed Tyler, I guess we just need to educate everyone about littering and storm water pollution.
As Jimmy, Jessica and Tyler approached the creek friends, they saw Marina lying sick on her side. What happened? Are you OK? cried Jessica. Oh, the pollutants are making me very sick, moaned Marina. Well, we need to do something about this, exclaimed Tyler as he pointed to all the pollutants in the water. Let s organize a creek cleanup and tell everyone we know not to pollute storm water, Jimmy said with excitement. Where are they coming from and how do they get into the water? asked Surfing Sam. Well, whenever water runs down the street from things like people washing their cars, or watering their lawns or even when it rains, the water picks up those pollutants from the street and carries them through a storm drain and into the nearest creek, river, lake or ocean, answered Simon. What s a storm drain? questioned Surfing Sam. Let me show you.
Storm drains are supposed to just carry rain water away from areas where it can t absorb into the ground and into a creek, river, lake or ocean, so people areas don t get flooded. But it also takes all the pollutants on the streets with it. Meanwhile downstream.. Hey guys, look, a bottle with a note, exclaimed Jimmy. What s it say? asked Jessica. Let s see.the creek friends say they need our help cleaning pollutants from the water, Jimmy said as he read the letter. Hummm. maybe we should investigate, said Tyler. Come on, let s go visit them, said Jessica.
Help Sam finish writing his message Try to find all the words we ve talked about Q U Q A W N N V M G L K E T F C E T A K D J V M C S I K N S Dear humans, We need your help! Our water is polluted with and we need to make it clean again. Please tell everyone you know that these pollutants are contaminating our water and to prevent storm water pollution as best they can. Thank you, The Creek Friends V V G I X W I E G A Z T X R X Y M Y K Y Z Y C X I H V L T G P D T R T C V H J N S B S A G A J J W S B K R M S W S O W E V G G P Z J R T F A W G E S S H A M S A A F O Q G N R M Y G A S C O C P U M W K V G N H F F R Y N I G N V J P M E B A U N K C L L B Q T A A O N O I H N L X J B S V S T D V A J C J D H V L X N E F W F G Z A S F M G P B R L L L R O F Y Q E B P H P U Y P T R B Y S G F E A R L A D J D U A S C P N H K X J W M T M A R I N A K E E R C I U O J Y F I C M T C J I F V L X X I H Q V K I A E A X H O O R S U X N M I T U G R T L R N I G O G T Z V P J K F A C R B J F W X T S M Y M D O R V S I C T N M D C X Y G K G J Y R S N H S Q W Y E P P I U S G P W E D T J K G F L H H F G S V L K B U U T Z H G A Q W B G G N C S J E V M W H E F N C S Y L B Y E C H T C K S V K X J T Z I V Q D R Z X G T C X N I I O V E R E T A W M R O T S S P pet waste oil creek Marina chemicals trash storm drain soap ocean air pollution litter Simon storm water Surfing Sam
So now that we know what s making me sick, what should we do? asked Marina. Simon replied, I say we first get you away from all this pollution, and secondly.. Wait, I have an idea! interrupted Surfing Sam, We have to let everyone know how bad these pollutants are for the water and us That s what I was just about to suggest. replied Simon. But, I m not finished, exclaimed Surfing Sam, We should send a message to everyone, maybe through one of these bottles. What? A message in a bottle? asked Marina and Simon together. Yeah! A message to let everyone know that pollution is making us sick and spoiling the water, said Surfing Sam, very excited. Well, it sounds different but worth a try, shrugged Simon..