In 2001, Channelkeeper initiated the Ventura Stream Team Program.  The Ventura River Stream Team is a partnership of Santa Barbara Channelkeeper and the Ventura Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. Ventura Stream Team has three major goals: to collect scientifically sound, baseline data on the health of the watershed; to recruit and train a force of watershed stewards in the community; and to identify sources of pollution throughout the watershed.

Each month, Stream Team volunteers test common water quality parameters at up to 20 sites on the Ventura River itself as well as its major tributaries. Volunteers use portable meters to test in-stream parameters such as temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, and conductivity. In addition, samples are collected that are later analyzed in the laboratory for bacteria and nutrients. Visual observations such as weather conditions, algae coverage, water clarity, odors, and trash are also recorded on standardized datasheets. We follow rigorous Quality Assurance/Quality Control protocols that are based on a Quality Assurance Project Plan approved by the State Water Resources Control Board.

In 2006, Channelkeeper released a report outlining the findings of our first five years of monitoring in the Ventura River watershed. The entire report is 104 pages long. To simplify downloads, we offer the report in sections as seen below. If you would like a hard copy or CD version of the report, please contact Ben Pitterle at (805) 563-3377 ext. 3 or by email at ben@sbck.org.

Executive Summary, Introduction and Background
Results
Recommended Actions and Endnotes
References and Methodology

Channelkeeper subsequently released an update report in 2007.Copies of this update along with multiple other special reports and studies can be found on our Stream Team website.

Stream Team data is being used by government agencies, consulting firms, environmental organizations, and other watershed stakeholders to help protect the river and the species that depend on it. We are collecting invaluable information on the overall health of these watersheds at a time when monitoring by our regulatory agencies has suffered major cutbacks, so we're working with the State and Regional Water Boards to ensure that our data is integrated and used in the agencies' biennial water quality assessments and development of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for pollutants of concern in these waterbodies. Our data is available in raw format on our Stream Team website.

Click here for a legal disclaimer regarding water sampling results.

As of August 2009, over 500 community members have participated in this program, contributing over 5,900 hours of their time. Ventura Stream Team has also received widespread support, both financial and other, from a variety of groups including the California State Coastal Conservancy, UCSB's Long Term Ecological Research Program, the City of San Buenaventura, Ventura County's Watershed Protection District, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

 

New volunteers are always welcome. Sign up on our volunteer list, or visit our official Stream Team website for more information.