Citizen Scientist Volunteers? San Mateo Resource Conservation District’s 2026 “First Flush” Water Quality Training

Join us for our First Flush Volunteer training event!

The First Flush program is our biggest annual community science water quality event in San Mateo County and we’re recruiting volunteers! First Flush is the first significant rain of the season, when pollutants that have accumulated across the landscape during the dry season can wash off the land and enter storm drains and creeks and eventually flow into the ocean.

We will be training adventurous volunteers to be a scientist for the day to help ensure clean creeks, beaches, and oceans. Your participation in this volunteer event that will have a positive and long-term impact in our community!

• Step one is attending this virtual training where you’ll learn about the background of the program, sampling methods, and First Flush sampling event logistics.
• Step two will be attending an in-person training where we practice collecting water samples at a sampling site, but we’ll provide more details during our virtual training!
• Step three will be our First Flush sampling event! The first big rains will likely arrive in November or December.