San Diego Coastkeeper


Solving Issues through Strategic Action


Mission

San Diego Coastkeeper protects the region’s bays, beaches, watersheds and ocean for the people and
wildlife that depend on them. We balance community outreach, education, and advocacy to promote
stewardship of clean water and a healthy coastal ecosystem.

Values

Coastkeeper is a watchdog organization that strives to protect San Diego’s precious coastal resources, while serving and engaging the local community in our advocacy, education and research efforts. Coastkeeper’s staff strives for excellence by performing work with the highest impact and professional integrity.

Organizational values:
To achieve our mission, the Coastkeeper team:

  • Uses the best available legal and scientific information to address issues and make decisions to
    serve our mission.
  • Implements conservation solutions through field based projects, policy initiatives and community
    empowerment.
  • Builds partnerships with other nonprofit organizations, community groups, agencies and
    businesses to enhance our effectiveness.
  • Makes decisions and conduct business to ensure the utmost standard of environmental
    sustainability within our organization and with our partners.
  • Stewards gifts in an accountable, cost-effective manner and accept gifts from entities that adhere to
    our environmental values.
  • Generates positive change using collaborative approaches to have the greatest community impact.
  • Recruits and works to retain staff who demonstrate personal and professional integrity.

Operational Values:
Coastkeeper’s staff and Board are its most important assets brought together by a shared dedication to serve the community and protect our coastal resources. As a cohesive unit, we strive for mutual respect, initiative, loyalty, encouragement and trust. We recognize that good communication and mutual understanding are integral in furthering the organization’s mission. To that end, Coastkeeper works to create a professional environment that promotes:

  • Trust among colleagues
  • Flexibility within the work place
  • Responsibility
  • A healthy work/ life balance
  • Open communication among staff and Board
  • Initiative
  • Personal and professional growth

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Goals & Objectives
In order to make San Diego the country’s Clean Water Capital, San Diego Coastkeeper works to:

  • Stop the illegal discharge of pollution into the region’s waterways
  • Restore and protect coastal habitat
  • Address root causes of water pollution

Major Initiatives:

  1. Sewage - Advocate for reduced sewage spills & enhanced treatment countywide.
  2. Water Recycling and Reuse - Advocate for comprehensive water management planning, including implementation of water recycling projects.
  3. Urban Runoff - Advocate for more protective runoff regulations and investigate and enforce against cities, agencies and businesses who do not comply with these requirements.
  4. Education & Outreach – Promote stewardship: among children through Project SWELL curricula and hands-on programs; among undergraduate and graduate students through legal and program internships; and among the public and decision-makers through community outreach efforts.
  5. Marine Conservation Initiative - Advocate for the creation of new marine reserves and the protection of existing reserves in San Diego County.
  6. Restoring Toxic Waterways - Advocate for sediment remediation of San Diego Bay; identify waterways that do not meet federal ‘fishable-swimmable’ standards through monitoring; and advocate for the adoption and implementation of restoration plans for contaminated waters.
  7. Marine Debris – Coordinate monthly beach cleanups and large-scale community events like Coastal Cleanup Day; and advocate for policies to reduce marine debris.

These seven initiatives comprise the bulk of Coastkeeper’s work plan for 2008-2010. Coastkeeper maintains the flexibility to address critical issues as they arise, which could impact our ability to achieve the desired outcomes for these major initiatives. It must also be noted that not all initiatives require the same level of effort, nor will they require a constant level of effort throughout the term of this strategic plan.

Future Initiatives
As we embark on this three-year strategic plan, the Coastkeeper team is always looking ahead to the future challenges that will face the region. As we work diligently to achieve the outcomes associated with our 2008-2010 strategic plan, we will also be planning for our future campaigns, which could include expanding our focus on addressing root causes of water pollution, such as regional land-use, energy and water supply policies.

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Major Outcomes (2008-2010)
Sewage

1. Commence litigation/settlement with City of San Diego on timetable to upgrade Pt. Loma to secondary treatment standards (upgrade starting in 2013)
2. Provide oversight and expert review of $500M investment in City of San Diego’s sewage collection system
3. Respond to sewage spills as needed with monitoring, advocacy, and outreach
4. Determine whether to engage on border sewage issues and develop campaign and funding plan accordingly

Water Recycling & Reuse

5. Advocate for adoption of a integrated regional water plan that includes measurable conservation and reuse objectives
6. Ensure indirect potable reuse pilot project is successfully implemented and a full-scale project is part of the City of San Diego’s water supply portfolio
7. Assist in achievement of full reuse at Camp Pendleton’s treatment plant

Urban Runoff

8. Complete eight jurisdictional stormwater reviews, including audit, report, and follow-up (education, support, or enforcement)
9. Assist five cities in implementing stormwater regulations, including ordinances and/or pilot projects that address new regulatory requirements
10. Reach settlement with Navy to reduce toxic runoff into San Diego Bay
11. Review and comment on ten development projects with impacts on high priority waters

Education & Outreach

12. Reach 75,000 students annually with Project SWELL (Stewardship, Water Education for Lifelong Leadership)
13. Reach over 20,000 supporters annually through speaking engagement, community events, newsletter, email alert and website; reach 500,000 San Diegans through media outreach

Marine Conservation Initiative

14. Advocate for establishment of effective, monitored, and enforced Marine Protected Areas (by 2011)
15. Collaborate with City of San Diego and Scripps Institution of Oceanography to protect current reserves in La Jolla

Restoring Toxic Waterways

16. Advocate for adoption of protective cleanup levels for San Diego Bay sediment (and intervene in litigation if needed)
17. Engage over 500 volunteers to gather data to help identify waters not meeting federal ‘fishableswimmable’ standards for inclusion on California’s 2008 impaired waters listing
18. Advocate for adoption or implementation of three restoration plans for high priority waters
19. Review and comment on ten discharge permits to impaired waterways

Marine Debris

20. Engage 20,000 volunteers in cleanups with our project partners to remove 300,000 pounds of debris
21. Advocate for the passage of legislation to reduce marine debris

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Strategies
San Diego Coastkeeper employs several tactics to achieve our goals:

Regulatory Advocacy and Legal Action
The landmark legal and regulatory victories Coastkeeper has achieved have helped to shape clean water policy throughout San Diego and the nation. Importantly, having engaged in so many successful legal and regulatory campaigns, Coastkeeper is now often able to leverage our reputation to promote critical clean water policies without resorting to adversarial tactics. Through the relationships we have developed at the local, state and national levels, Coastkeeper is often viewed by elected officials and regulatory agencies as an invaluable resource in the effort to restore our waterways.

Community Outreach & Education
Our outreach efforts are aimed at increasing awareness of water quality issues and allowing concerned citizens to take an active role in protecting and restoring local waters. We are viewed in the community and media as experts in the field and are sought out for credible information on new projects, controversial issues, breaking news, and changing environmental conditions. We provide formal education to children through Project SWELL curricula and hands-on programs and to undergraduate and graduate students through legal and program internships.

Science & Monitoring
Science is a critical part of our work; we maintain access to the top experts in water quality to guide us in our efforts. We use best available quality control procedures to ensure that our citizen and expert water quality monitoring can be used to assess the health of local waters, advocate for their protection, and enforce their restoration and enhancement. Science also plays a role in increasing our understanding of the natural world and focusing our efforts where they can have the biggest impact.

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Organizational Chart (2008)
San Diego Coastkeeper employs several tactics to achieve our goals:

Organizational Chart

View larger image of Organizational Chart

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