October is Creek and Channel Safety Awareness Month

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Oct. 14, 2024) — The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors has declared October as Creek and Channel Safety Awareness Month in support of the Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District’s (Flood Control District) ongoing efforts to educate the public on creek and channel safety.

As the rainy season begins, it is important to remember that water levels in our creeks and channels will rise. The water is cold, swift-moving, and full of debris, so we need to remind our children and friends about the dangers of fast-moving water and the most certain fate that awaits anyone who goes into rain-swollen creeks and channels.

Flood control channels are an integral part of our community’s infrastructure and like freeways and railroad tracks, they should NEVER be used for recreation.

We continue to spread the “Stay Out, Stay Alive” message to children and their parents, with a focus on outreach to all schools in the County during the month of October. Schools across the County can request their own banner to hang in support of Creek and Channel Safety Month.

With the assistance of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, County Supervisor Ken Carlson, and County Supervisor Candace Andersen, the Flood Control District will hold a lunchtime educational event at Walnut Creek Intermediate School, whose campus is bisected by the Walnut Creek concrete channel, to raise awareness to students surrounding the dangers of flood control channels.

To learn more about Creek and Channel Safety Awareness watch our video For more about this campaign and how you can share this important safety message, visit our web page at: www.cccounty.us/creekandchannelsafety