Orange County’s Student Waterway Protectors
July 9, 2025
Protecting Orange County’s creeks, rivers, and ocean starts with education – and there’s no better place to begin than with our youth. Across OC, young people are answering the call and becoming stewards for our water resources. H2OC offers a variety of resources that help educate K-12 youth and empower them to take action. These include comprehensive cleanup toolkits, a Stormwater Quality Leadership Program, educational presentations, and EnviroScape watershed models available for educators to borrow. Additionally, we have watershed activity booklets and a Stormwater Protector Video with companion worksheet for teachers to utilize.
By engaging youth early, we help them understand the impact of water quality pollution and the important role they play as protectors of our local water bodies. Let’s explore how H2OC’s youth programs are making a meaningful difference in protecting Orange County’s creeks, rivers, and ocean.
H2OC High School Cleanups
It all starts on campus. The H2OC High School Cleanup Program provides everything educators and students need to plan and execute a successful litter cleanup event. Comprehensive cleanup toolkits are made available to teachers or campus clubs and include grabbers, gloves, buckets, data sheets, and easy-to-follow instructions—making it simple for any high school to get involved. By using the toolkit, students lead the effort to keep their school grounds clean while learning that anything left on the ground can flow untreated into our waterways.
Since the launch of the H2OC High School Cleanup Program in 2022, participating students have prevented over 2,674 pieces of litter from reaching our waterways. Schools like Tesoro High School in Rancho Santa Margarita and Troy High School in Fullerton have led the way, hosting multiple cleanups and inspiring their peers to take action to keep their campuses clean.
Beyond the environmental benefits, participating students can earn community service hours, learn about stormwater pollution, and see firsthand how their efforts protect local ecosystems. Educators love the program too, noting how accessible and impactful it is for busy classrooms. If you’re a high school educator or student leader interested in hosting a cleanup, fill out the interest form and a member of our team will reach out to you.
Stormwater Quality Leadership Program
For students ready to dive deeper, the Stormwater Quality Leadership Program, implemented by Poseidon Education, offers an immersive and rewarding experience.
H2OC began offering the Stormwater Quality Leadership Program in 2020. The program aims to inspire students in grades 5-12 to become the water quality leaders of tomorrow by involving them in stormwater management on their school campuses. Students learn how to collect and analyze runoff samples, design mitigation strategies, and present their findings to local officials. Along the way, they gain valuable experience in data analysis, environmental science, and public speaking.
The Stormwater Quality Leadership Program goes beyond traditional environmental education. Students gain essential skills in water quality assessment and environmental impact analysis, while simultaneously benefiting from a unique on-campus internship experience. Upon completion, students are provided letters of recommendation to use when applying to colleges or future internships. This comprehensive program equips students with the tools, knowledge, and professional support they need to succeed in their academic and career journeys.
The program has already reached 12 schools, most recently Cypress High School in the City of Cypress and Thurston Middle School in the City of Laguna Beach, helping hundreds of students understand their role in protecting our environment.
Through implementation of the Stormwater Quality Leadership Program, we are providing students with foundational skills that can be built upon to address emerging water quality challenges and innovate for long-term sustainability. Introducing students to these critical career paths and nurturing their skill development helps ensure a future where clean water is protected for all.
Participating teachers consistently report that students feel a deep sense of pride and accomplishment after participating in the Stormwater Quality Leadership Program — a testament to the positive influence these experiences provide to youth. If you’re a high school or junior high school educator interested in bringing the Stormwater Quality Leadership Program to your school, fill out the interest form and a member of our team will reach out to you.
We are incredibly proud of the impact these programs have had on our young people and waterways!
School Presentations
H2OC also offers free educational presentations tailored for K-12 students.
These engaging sessions cover the water cycle, stormwater infrastructure, pollution prevention strategies, and even potential careers in environmental science. It’s a fun and informative way to spark curiosity and encourage civic responsibility in students.
K-12 educators can request a free presentation by filling out the Contact Us form here.
EnviroScape Rentals
To illustrate how water flows through a watershed, H2OC has several EnviroScape watershed models available for loan to K-12 educators. These interactive tabletop models visually demonstrate how runoff flows can carry pollutants through our watersheds, from neighborhoods into our waterways via the storm drain system.
Educators and community organizations engaged in education can request to borrow an EnviroScape watershed model for use in their classroom or events here.
Watershed Activity Booklets
To keep elementary students engaged beyond the classroom, we created watershed activity booklets!
Through a fun word search, word matching, and coloring activities, we help inspire an interest in protecting our watersheds. By meeting students where they’re at and what they’re interests are, we can entertain while educating them.
Stormwater Protector Video and Worksheet
Need a quick but thorough resource? The Stormwater Protector video is a helpful guide explaining the water cycle, watershed information, our storm drain system, and more. Learning these concepts is critical to making an impact. To support this learning, we’ve also developed a companion worksheet appropriate for grades 4-5 and aligned with California’s Next Generation Science Standards.
Our resources help reinforce our pollution prevention lessons both inside the classroom and in the community.
H2OC’s school programs ensure school-aged children have the tools and knowledge to make an impact and protect our water resources. Together, we can inspire Orange County’s next generation of stormwater protectors!