By David Goldstein –
On May 19, for National Public Works Week, the cities of Oxnard and Thousand Oaks, and the County of Ventura held events with informational booths, equipment displays, and activities for children. School groups visited on field trips, including over 1,200 children who came to the Ventura County Government Center on Tuesday, May 19, Ventura’s major made a proclamation at City Council celebrating the local American Public Works Association Chapter’s Project of the Year, the Westpark Skate Park.
The American Public Works Association’s 2026 theme was “Rooted in Service Powered by Community.” This phrase focused on the role the public plays in public works, and at events in Ventura County, staff of public agencies made interaction central to education efforts, particularly to motivate participation in programs related to environmental sustainability.
For example, at the booth run by my division, the Integrated Waste Management Division of the Ventura County Public Works Agency, kids mixed compost-enhanced potting mix, made biodegradable pots, and planted pumpkin seeds to take home. Our ‘Squash Food Waste’ booth encouraged everyone to try home composting, gardening with compost, and sort their curbside materials correctly.
Other departments also focused on messages designed to motivate participation. The Ventura County Watershed Protection District taught children about how pollinators help plants and emphasized the importance of planting and maintaining butterfly compatible landscapes, ranging from milkweed (but not the tropical variety of milkweed) to “overwintering” trees.
Another branch of the Watershed Protection District provided a demonstration of pervious concrete, which allows water to percolate through paved surfaces into the underground water table. Convincing people to pave with pervious surfaces instead of conventional concrete and asphalt will increase subsurface storage of rain and stormwater for future use instead of losing it to the ocean.
Nearby, children gathered around the Watershed Simulation Model, which demonstrated how stormwater moves through a watershed into rivers, lakes, and eventually the ocean. The interactive model reinforced lessons about flood control, pollution prevention, and groundwater recharge. The Watershed Protection District also hosted educational games explaining sediment transport and fish migration.
Using activities focused on the proposed removal of Matilija Dam, staff taught how dams interrupt natural sediment movement, contributing to beach erosion while blocking steelhead trout migration. The demonstrations connected watershed management directly to coastal health.
The Water and Sanitation Department demonstrated methods used to test drinking water and treated wastewater. Children observed chlorine testing procedures and learned how laboratory monitoring protects public health and water quality. Staff also explained how wastewater treatment allows recycled water and biosolids to be beneficially reused rather than wasted.
Heavy equipment remained one of the biggest attractions. Students crowded around excavators, loaders, rollers, graders, vactor trucks, and other specialized equipment used to maintain roads, waterways, and utility systems.
Operators explained how these machines are used for flood control, road maintenance, sewer cleaning, and storm response. Demonstrations emphasized environmental protection often depends on infrastructure maintenance and rapid emergency response capabilities.
Public Works Week served as a reminder that infrastructure and environmental protection are closely connected. Clean water, flood control, waste reduction, transportation systems, and habitat protection all depend on a partnership between public works professionals and a participating public.
