Regional Projects

A number of California projects are providing outreach, education, monitoring, science and mitigation relating to integrated pest management, pesticides and water quality. Below are brief project descriptions, documents, and links for these projects.

  • PRISM Grants Project Schedule, prepared by State Water Board, May 2005 (PDF file)

    • University of California Integrated Pest Management Program
    Established in 1979, the University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM) develops and promotes the use of integrated, ecologically sound pest management programs in California.

    It's mission is:

    For more information, visit http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/

    The Our Water Our World Program
    After a pilot project in central Contra Costa county (Central Contra Costa Sanitary District created the program in 1997), Marin County and the City of Palo Alto, the Our Water - Our World (OWOW) program started to expand to the rest of the Bay Area in 1998. Originally, the OWOW program included the design and development of six fact sheets that provided pest management strategies for specific pests. The fact sheets were placed in literature racks in retail outlets to make them accessible to the public. Trainings for retail store personnel (that sell pesticides to the public) were also given and consisted of principles of integrated pest management (IPM), successful application strategies and sales techniques for promoting less toxic products. Shelf-talkers were also placed under less toxic products on store shelves to make it easier for the public to identify safer alternatives to conventional pesticides. In addition, community outreach/educational events were in the stores to promote the availability of less toxic methods and products.

    Status: The OWOW program has expanded over the years to include additional fact sheets (currently there are 15 in English and 9 in Spanish), working with pesticide distributors (i.e., the companies that sell pesticides to the stores), and creation of a website called www.ourwaterourworld.org. The web site includes an Ask the Expert section that lets visitors ask specific pest-related questions (answered by the Bio-Integral Resource Center) and receive a response via e-mail. In addition to the Bay Area, the OWOW program is now available in all Orchard Supply Hardware stores throughout the state and in coastal communities from Del Norte County through Santa Barbara - as well as a number of other inland and southern California communities. For more information, visit http://www.ourwaterourworld.org.

    Proposition 13 Grant-Funded Projects

    Mitigation Grants

    The UP3 Project
    Who: The San Francisco Estuary Project and TDC Environmental, Inc.
    What: The Urban Pesticide Pollution Prevention (UP3) Project fosters effective education and outreach and provides technical assistance for implementation of the Diazinon and Pesticide-Related Toxicity in Bay Area Urban Creeks Water Quality Attainment Strategy (WQAS) and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). TDC Environmental, Inc. is providing technical assistance with monitoring and science and regulatory activities.

    For more information, click here.

    EcoWise Certified (formerly Making IPM Mainstream)
    Who: The Association of Bay Area Governments in partnership with National Resources Defense Council, Bio-Integral Resource Center, and local government agencies.
    What: Under the grant, they are developing a certification program for structural and landscaped pest control operators who use non-toxic or least-toxic techniques for pest problems. When Northern California residents and agencies select IPM certified operators to control pests, fewer pesticides are introduced to the environment.

    For more information, click here.

    San Diego Region Integrated Pest Management Education and Outreach
    Who: The San Diego Department of Public Works in cooperation with UC Cooperative Extension and others.
    What: Under this Proposition 13 grant from the State Water Resources Control Board, they have development a public outreach campaign that specifically targets ant management and promotes switching from sprays to baits. They have also conducted water quality monitoring. The integrated pest management program is part of Project Clean Water, which was initiated in July 2000 to provide a broad and inclusive forum for exploring water quality issues of regional significance.

    For more information, click here.

    Research And Source Identification Grants

    Development of New Chemical Methods for the Diazinon Replacements
    Who: San Francisco Estuary Institute, with AXYS Analytical and Applied Marine Sciences
    What: This project will:

    Development of Testing Procedures for Diazinon and Chlorpyrifos Replacement Pesticides
    Who: San Francisco Estuary Project, with AQUA-Science, UC Davis, California Department of Fish and Game, and TDC Environmental What: This project will: Develop TIE procedures for pyrethroids and imidacloprid in surface water.

    Investigations of Sources and Effects of Pyrethroid Pesticides in Watersheds of the San Francisco Estuary
    Who: San Francisco Estuary Institute, with UC Davis and California Department of Fish and Game
    What: This project will:

    Coastal Nonpoint Source Grants

    Pest Control Operator Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Partnership Who: Bio-Integral Resource Center, with Marin County Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program, Central Contra Costa Sanitary District, and Contra Costa Clean Water Program What: This project will:

    Alternatives to a Toxic Tomorrow
    Who: Marin County Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program What:

  • Final Project Report, Alternatives to a Toxic Tomorrow grant, June 2006

    • This project: