What is UCR Clean Water?
UCR Clean Water is the education and outreach component of our Stormwater Management Program under the Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management Department. The aim of UCR Clean Water is to provide education and awareness of stormwater quality issues to the UCR community. Initiatives include supporting a greener and healthier campus by promoting the use of reusable cups and bottles, conducting trash clean-ups and dumpster audits, and informing the campus of water quality topics.
The Gage Basin is an area on campus located behind the Alumni Center. It runs along University Avenue, from Canyon Crest Drive to the freeway on-ramp. All of the stormwater from the main campus eventually drains to the Gage Basin, then discharges to the City of Riverside's stormwater infrastructure.
The campus landscapes and other infrastructure captures stormwater and filters out pollutants through natural processes, such as infiltration or biofiltration. It is important for us to keep the Gage Basin clean in order to reduce pollutants from entering our stormwater, before discharging to the City and eventually to the Santa Ana River.
Help us keep R'Water clean by reporting broken dumpster lids and illicit discharges on this form. We will investigate your concerns and fix repairs to minimize pollution in our stormwater. An illicit discharge is any pollution (or a substance other than stormwater) entering our storm drain infrastructure.
Pet Waste
Abandoned pet waste is a community concern. Pet waste can carry dangerous diseases into local creeks, rivers, lakes,
and the ocean.
- Always carry a plastic bag to pick up pet waste when walking your dog.
- Properly dispose pet waste in a
toilet or trash receptacle every time. - Tell a friend!
Trash
The presence of trash in surface waters, especially coastal and marine waters, is a serious issue in California.
- The main way trash on land ends up in waterways is by rainstorms that wash it into storm drains.
- Trash is items such as cigarette butts, paper, fast food containers, plastic grocery bags, and cans and bottles.
- Trash is a threat to aquatic habitat and aquatic life as soon as it enters surface waters and ocean waters.Ingestion and entanglement can be fatal for freshwater, estuarine, and marine life.
- Similarly, habitat alteration and degradation due to trash in surface waters can make natural habitats unsuitable for spawning, migration, and preservation of aquatic life.
Learn about what illicit discharges are in the following short 10 min video:
To report any illicit discharges on campus please contact us at:
Email: ucrcleanwater@ucr.edu
Phone: (951) 827-5528
Follow the journey of R'Water with our info graphic images!
Further information about the Santa Ana Watershed in the video below
(19 min video):
Gage Basin Clean-Up Crew
We need to keep the Gage Basin clean, and we need your help to get it done. Sign up with the QR Code to volunteer to clean-up the Gage Basin. Once we have about 10 participant, we will set a date for a morning clean-up of about 2 hours. Snacks and water will be provided, along with your choice of a shirt or hat. Long pants and closed-toed shoes are required during the clean-up event.
