Santa Barbara Channelkeeper

PFAS: Hiding in Plain Sight

November 1, 2022 by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper

Hundreds of everyday products, from non-stick cooking pans to stain- and water-resistant clothing, are made today with highly toxic chemicals called per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. These chemicals are known to cause cancer, liver and kidney disease, reproductive issues, immunodeficiencies, and hormonal disruptions and in June, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an updated health advisory stating that there are no safe levels of PFAS in drinking water. However, these toxic substances are found in waterways throughout the United States.

PFAS are often referred to as “forever chemicals” because they take thousands of years to break down. PFAS molecules have a chain of linked carbon and fluorine atoms. Because the carbon-fluorine bond is one of the strongest, these chemicals do not easily degrade, making them biopersistent, or able to remain in organisms indefinitely without breaking down. They are also bioaccumulative, meaning that they build up over time in ever-increasing levels in people, wildlife, and the environment.

Because of their widespread use, release, and disposal over decades, PFAS are found virtually everywhere: in the atmosphere, the deep ocean, and even the human body. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website says that the agency has found PFAS in the blood of nearly everyone it has tested for them.

In the summer of 2022, the Waterkeeper Alliance and environmental engineering firm, Cyclopure, Inc., launched a monitoring project. During the months of May, June, and July, 113 Waterkeeper groups tested primary waterways in their jurisdictions. They collected water samples from two locations in their respective waterways, one upstream and one downstream of a potential source of PFAS contamination. A shocking 83% of these waterways were contaminated, with at least one PFAS compound detected in 95 of the 114 waterways sampled.

Santa Barbara Channelkeeper participated in the study by collecting and submitting water samples from the Ventura River, both upstream and downstream of the Ojai Valley Sanitation District’s Treatment facility, which discharges effluent into the river just south of Foster Park. Our samples both revealed PFAS contamination, with higher concentrations below the wastewater treatment facility.

The results of this research project demonstrate just how much more needs to be done to protect the health and safety of communities and ecosystems across the nation. We join the Waterkeeper Alliance in urging Environmental Protection Agency and lawmakers to take action to monitor waterways, clean up existing contamination, adopt standards for eliminating pollution, and enforce those standards.

Learn more about PFAS and read the full report here: https://waterkeeper.org/pfas/

Honoring Local Impacts of the Clean Water Act on the 50th Anniversary

September 30, 2022 by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper

Clean water is central to our identity and way of life on the South Coast. The health of our ocean—and the creeks, rivers, wetlands, and watersheds that flow into it—directly affects our community’s health and happiness, our economy, and the ecological richness that makes this place so unique.

This month, we’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, which has played an important role in improving the water quality of the Santa Barbara Channel and its watersheds, as well as waterways across the nation.

Before the Clean Water Act, only one-third of America’s waterways were considered clean enough to be fishable or swimmable. Many of our nation’s waters were contaminated by sewage, oil, trash, industrial pollution, and agricultural runoff. Rivers in some areas were so polluted that they caught on fire. In response to public outcry, in October of 1972, Congress passed the Clean Water Act to address water quality issues by regulating the amount of pollutants discharged into our natural water systems and establishing national standards for water quality.

The Clean Water Act represented a milestone in our nation’s environmental history. It took significant steps to stop dumping raw sewage and untreated industrial waste into our waters. It set a goal to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters for the use and benefit of everyone. It also gave every person the right to enforce the law when the government fails to protect clean water.

Since then, Channelkeeper and other Waterkeepers across the United States have used the Clean Water Act to stop pollution, to prevent habitat destruction, and to set water quality standards that ensure our waterways are healthy for both wildlife and people to use and enjoy.

In fact, the Clean Water Act forms the backbone of Channelkeeper’s work. In 1999, Santa Barbara County had the highest number of public health warnings for poor water quality of any coastal county in California. Since then, Channelkeeper has leveraged the Clean Water Act to improve water quality along the South Coast by motivating polluters like Halaco Engineering Co., the Ojai Quarry, and Southern California Edison to clean up their operations. We have also used the Clean Water Act framework to effect policy changes to better protect our community from sewage overflows, industrial pollution, and agricultural discharges.

There is still work to be done to defend our community’s right to clean water and healthy habitats, but we hope you’ll join us in honoring the 50th anniversary of a law that has improved the health and safety of the ocean, creeks, wetlands, and rivers that we love and continues to help keep our waterways, wildlife, and community vibrant.

Why Flowing Water in the Ventura River is Worth Fighting For

August 30, 2022 by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper

[En Español]

Water is the lifeblood of coastal California. It supplies drinking water for communities, fuels agricultural production, and sustains waterways and the species that depend on them. However, creeks, streams, and rivers along our coast are drying up more due to increasing pressures from climate change, expanded urban development, and irrigated agricultural lands. California’s waterways are indicators. As they dry up, entire downstream ecosystems collapse, and these dusty streambeds alert us to a lack of sustainable management.

Why should we be concerned the Ventura River is being pumped dry?

We rely on the Ventura River as a primary source of drinking water. The Ventura River and its groundwater basins provide all of the water used in the Ojai Basin and the Ventura River valley. When the river goes dry, it indicates that water usage is not sustainable and that we are exceeding the capacity of our resources and living dangerously beyond our means as we face a more arid future.

Wildlife suffers when waterways like the Ventura River go dry. Streams, creeks, and rivers are hotspots for freshwater biodiversity, providing habitat for birds, insects, fish, amphibians, invertebrates, and mammals. Aquatic organisms rely on water for their oxygen. Reduced flows and rising water temperatures decrease dissolved oxygen levels and can result in wildlife asphyxiation. Ultimately, as flows stop, entire ecosystems collapse and once vital streambeds become silent.

The Ventura River provides essential access to nature for hundreds of community members each week. If you visit Foster Park or any of the Ventura River’s swimming holes and picnic areas on a weekend, you’ll see entire families splashing and enjoying time outdoors together and people of all ages and ethnicities exploring the wilderness in their own backyard. The Ventura River’s flowing waters are a valuable public resource that provide recreational opportunities and a place for every member of our community to connect with nature.

When flows cease, histories evaporate. The Ventura River was a source of life and abundance to the indigenous people who lived, hunted, and gathered along its banks and it remains a sacred landmark to the Chumash community today. Keeping the river alive preserves important narratives.

When the creeks, streams, and rivers in our backyard are pumped dry, it means that our resources are not being managed responsibly. Channelkeeper continues to speak on the Ventura River’s behalf and leverage the law to demand sustainable management of our water resources. There is enough water to satisfy the needs of people and sustain nature if managed sustainably. By protecting vital water resources, we can ensure water security for wildlife and people for generations to come.

Santa Barbara Channelkeeper has advocated on the Ventura River’s behalf for over twenty years to stop the City of Ventura from pumping it dry and establish flow thresholds to ensure the river’s health and ecological richness.

Take Your Plastic Advocacy to the Next Level

July 19, 2022 by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper

The news headlines about plastic are grim. A dead whale with 33 pounds of plastic in its stomach; a seal with a frisbee stuck around its neck; microplastics found in the meat and milk we consume. Each of us feels the weight of the plastic crisis and wants to take action. We’ve said no to plastic packaging and found plastic-free alternatives to common household items. But what can we do beyond recycling and limiting our own dependence on single-use plastics? How do we level up our individual actions? We’ve outlined a few ways to channel your positive energy into effective plastic-fighting advocacy campaigns that build upon your everyday efforts.

Have a conversation

A meaningful conversation can be an effective way to promote plastic reduction efforts in your area. Do you like a particular product or store, but you wish they would reduce or eliminate their use of plastic? Take a moment to ask the business to consider reducing their packaging or switching to a reusable alternative. Talk, call, or send an email. Businesses may be resistant at first, but if they hear the same request from multiple customers, they may consider making some changes.

Spread Awareness While You Scroll

Digital platforms can be an effective way to advance plastic-reduction messaging. You’re likely on social media anyway, so pour a cup of tea and commit half an hour to liking and sharing plastic-related posts, articles, and videos that will have a positive ripple effect. Today, brands are sensitive about how they are perceived online, an awareness you can leverage to help create change.

Make it personal. Write a sentence or two to personalize a post when you share or reshare.
Tag people and businesses that you think may be interested.
Use hashtags to broaden your reach.

Write a Letter to the Editor of Your Local Paper

Formulate a concise, fact-based letter that outlines your concerns about plastic and makes the issue personal and directly related to your community. Explain how readers in your area will be affected by the plastic crisis. Invite decision-makers to take action.

Engage in the Civic Process

Vote, Vote, Vote. Local elections have far-reaching effects. Support politicians who will prioritize the environment. Call or email your state representatives to voice your support for single-use plastic reduction policies or attend a city council or regional government meeting to make a public statement.

Monitoring Plankton to Protect Wildlife, People, and Ocean Health

June 28, 2022 by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper

Did you know that one teaspoon of ocean water can contain over a million living creatures called plankton? These microscopic plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton) drift with the ocean’s currents and play a fundamental role in many ocean systems. Plankton are tiny yet vital organisms.

Phytoplankton form the base of the ocean food web. Small marine creatures like zooplankton, crustaceans, and small fish eat phytoplankton and are in turn consumed by whales, squid, and larger fish, which become food for top ocean predators like sharks.

Phytoplankton concentration is influenced by several factors, including light availability, temperature, and nutrients.

Phytoplankton produce their own nourishment using the energy of the sun in a process called photosynthesis. During photosynthesis, phytoplankton release oxygen into the water as a byproduct. Scientists estimate that about 50% of the world’s oxygen is produced via phytoplankton photosynthesis.

Phytoplankton are also responsible for most of the transfer of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to the ocean. During photosynthesis, they consume carbon dioxide and later release it through respiration or as biomass when they die and sink to the bottom of the ocean.

Why Monitor Plankton?

Channelkeeper conducts plankton tows to help monitor algal blooms in the Santa Barbara Channel. When environmental conditions in ocean water change, sometimes caused by an overabundance of nutrients such as nitrogen or phosphorus from fertilizer runoff, sewage treatment plants, and other land-based sources, phytoplankton populations can grow rapidly. This is called a “bloom.” Some blooms only result in a change of the water’s color (like the coccolithophore bloom that made the ocean look milky blue in Santa Barbara a few years ago), while others can be harmful, depleting oxygen in the water, blocking sunlight, or secreting toxins. Harmful algae blooms, some of which are known as red tides due to their reddish-brown color, can sicken and kill marine wildlife and negatively affect humans who are exposed to them.

While out on our boat conducting MPA Watch surveys, our team collects samples which we send to the California Department of Health. We do this in an effort to better understand harmful algae blooms and to protect both people and wildlife from their effects.

Tiny Creatures Provide Big Insight

Monitoring plankton populations is also key to assessing the health of the marine environment. Around the world, plankton are used as indicators of the health of water due to their short life span and sensitivity to both short-term and long-term environmental changes. Studying plankton helps scientists understand many things about the ocean, such as changes in fish populations, pollution, and climate. Learning about these tiny yet vital creatures can help us better understand important ocean systems and more effectively protect wildlife and the environment.

A Snapshot of the Planktonic Community

A plankton tow is a way to collect a sample of marine microorganisms. This snapshot of the planktonic community reveals what plankton populations are flourishing, any imbalances, and can provide clues about water quality.

From the deck of our boat, the R/V Channelkeeper, our team submerges a fine-meshed net with a jar at one end to collect the plankton sample. We send it down 30 feet in the water column and pull it back up using a rope. This is called a vertical tow (as opposed to pulling the net horizontally through the water). The net is sunk and raised three times. Then, we pour the liquid trapped in the jar into a fresh bottle containing a small amount of preservative. We place the bottles in postmarked boxes and mail them to the California Department of Public Health for lab analysis. These samples are analyzed for toxin-producing species, and they reveal trends in phytoplankton distribution along the coast.

What We Sometimes Find

Diatoms
These microscopic phytoplankton plankton are a food source for zooplankton. Diatoms have cell walls made of silica and many form long chains of cells.

Coccolithophorids
Large blooms of these phytoplankton create milky white areas in the ocean that are visible from space thanks to the calcium carbonate plates that make up their cell walls.

Copepod
Considered the most numerous multicellular animals on earth, these tiny crustaceans are a food source for many other zooplankton and fish.

Krill
These zooplankton are important source of food for many marine mammals and seabirds. They are an important part of the food web.

Meroplankton
The larvae of many bottom-dwelling invertebrates like crabs, starfish, mussels, clams, and lobsters all begin as larvae in the plankton before they settle on the bottom and become the more familiar adult creatures. These organisms are called meroplankton, because they only spend part of their lives among plankton, as opposed to holoplankton, or organisms that spend their entire lives as plankton.

Pteropod
These gelatinous zooplankton are relatives of snails. Pteropods feed using a mucous web that they trap food particles with.

Threats to Plankton

Ocean acidification poses a significant threat to phytoplankton. When excess carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion is absorbed by seawater, a series of chemical reactions occur that result in the increased concentration of hydrogen ions. This increase causes seawater to become more acidic and causes carbonate ions to be less abundant. These carbonate ions are essential for calcifying organisms to build and maintain their shells, skeletons, and other structures. Scientists speculate that a more acidic ocean will cause some types of plankton to grow slower and others to grow faster, changing the balance and affecting the food web.

Plankton are also threatened by plastic pollution and microplastics billions of tiny bits of plastic, less than five millimeters in size. Plastics float, block sunlight, and do not degrade. By blocking sunlight, plastics disrupt phytoplankton’s ability to produce energy through photosynthesis, causing them to die off. Zooplankton can also consume microplastics and die from blockages in their digestive tracts. Because they are a primary food source for many marine creatures, when plankton populations diminish, many other species are affected throughout the ocean food web.