We are preparing for another series of storms in San Luis Obispo County beginning on Thursday March 9th.  Some areas, especially the north coast, could see from 3-5 inches of rain total through the weekend.  Here are some ways to prepare for the storm:

• Ensure you have flashlights and extra batteries.
• Charge electronic devices and have a back-up external battery on hand.
• Stock an emergency supply kit for your home and your vehicle.
• Keep your vehicle’s gas tank half-full or more.
• Store important documents and valuables in waterproof containers and move them to higher levels of your home.
• Clean out gutters and get sand and sandbags if your home is prone to flooding.

If you need to purchase Sandbags they are available at Miners and the CSD for purchase.

Los Osos CSD sells sandbags during Lobby Hours only (10am-3pm). The sandbags are sold in bundles of 10 for $5.50. Limit of 2 bundles per resident.

Los Osos CSD provides free sand on a self-service basis for sandbags at the LOCSD Utilities Water Yard at 8th Street and El Moro Avenue. Remember to only fill sandbags half-way to 2/3. Do not fill to top.

Please watch the video below for how to properly sandbag for flood protection. 

With this storm, make sure to protect the storm drain system from illicit discharge.

What is an Illicit Discharge?

Illicit discharges are generally any discharge into a storm drain system this is not composed entirely of stormwater. The exceptions include water from firefighting activities and discharges from facilities already under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. Illicit discharges are a problem because, unlike wastewater which flows to a wastewater treatment plant, stormwater generally flows to waterways (like the back bay) without any additional treatment. Illicit discharges often include pathogens, nutrients, surfactants, and various toxic pollutants.

If you see water running down the street and there are no firefighting or water operations activities going on in the immediate area, please report it to the LOCSD main office at 805-528-9370

CLICK HERE to see the County’s rain gauge at the Los Osos Landfill.

Knowing what to recycle and how to recycle it prevents contamination. Placing something in the recycling bin because you wish it was recyclable is called “wishcycling” and makes recyclable materials less valuable for recycling markets. In addition, machines that sort and process recyclables can only manage certain items without causing sorting and processing problems. Only place known recyclable materials in the recycling bin.

Here are 6 items that are commonly wishcycled:

1. Loose Plastic Bags 

Plastic bags can jam up the machinery at the recycling facility — keep these out of the recycling bin, and place in garbage only.

2. Greasy Pizza Boxes

While unsoiled cardboard pizza boxes do belong in the recycling bin, boxes soiled with grease or marinara stains should go in your green waste/organic container! Any plastic coated boxes and those little plastic pizza tables should go in the trash. 

3. Bottles with Liquid Still Inside 

Plastic or glass bottles that are normally able to be recycled cannot go in the recycling bin if they still have liquid contents inside. Keep in mind that liquids can contaminate the items in your recycling bin and make them unrecyclable.

4. Styrofoam 

Polystyrene foam, also known as styrofoam, is not recyclable and belongs in your garbage bin.

5. Certain Types of Glass

Glass bottles and jars are recyclable. However, other types of glass, for example, pyrex, glassware, and wine and drinking glasses, have a different composition that do not allow them to be recycled. Keep in mind that broken glass is also not accepted in your recycling bin.

6. Loose Shredded Paper

Keep in mind that although a material, like paper, may be recyclable — it must be able to be captured and processed by machinery at the recycling facility in order to be recycled.  Loose shredded paper can get caught up between the machinery and cause problems.

To avoid such issues, place shredded paper in a clear plastic bag in the recyling bin. This will allow the shredded paper to be seen in a clear plastic bag and picked off the line when going through the recycling facility.

Recycle right! If you’re ever unsure, check your handy recycling guide for more information.

LOCSD is also continuing with their regularly scheduled Board, Utilities Advisory Committee, Finance Advisory Committee, Emergency Services Advisory Committee and Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Meetings. 

Information for each meeting and how to get connected will be available on the Agenda for each meeting. Agendas can be found on the LOCSD Website (losososcsd.org) which is posted a minimum of 72 hours before the meeting time.

Our upcoming meetings are: 

• Special Board of Directors Meeting Open Session - March 8, 2023 @ 5:30PM
• Utilities Advisory Committee Meeting - March 15, 2023 @5:30PM 
• Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Meeting - March 21, 2023 @ 5:30PM
• Finance Advisory Committee Meeting - April 3, 2023 @ 5:30PM
• Board of Directors Meeting Open Session - April 6, 2023 @ 6PM
• Utilities Advisory Committee Meeting - April 26, 2023 @5:30PM 

For more information about the upcoming meetings for LOCSD, please go to our website, or click here.