Santa Barbara Channelkeeper

Keeping Watch for Clean Water

News

Watershed Hero: Joy Downing Riley

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Some people see a problem and wonder how others will solve it—but not Joy Downing Riley. When she noticed that litter was impacting marine life along one of her favorite coastal areas—the Rincon Parkway—she leaped into action, not only by picking up trash herself but by addressing the issue at its upstream source.

Joy believes in the power of individual action to create positive change and over the years she’s served the community in a variety of volunteer roles. Until last spring, she volunteered as a literacy coach. But when the pandemic made it too risky to meet in person, she looked for other ways to give back and joined Santa Barbara Channelkeeper’s Watershed Brigade to help remove trash from public places. In the past nine months, she’s become a star volunteer—and a true Watershed Hero.

The Rincon Parkway, the stretch of beach along the Pacific Coast Highway between Emma Wood State Beach and Mussel Shoals, is a special place to Joy. It’s a vantage point from which she enjoys watching wildlife while taking in the island views and the ever-changing light. She appreciates that the Parkway is accessible to all and loves seeing the happiness on people’s faces–from fishermen and surfers to families.

When stay-at-home orders went in to place in March of 2020 and people looked to outdoor areas for recreation, Joy noticed an increase in the use of this area and observed more trash along the road making its way to the beach. She felt it was important to be out there cleaning the area, educating the community, and doing something positive.

Her experience locating and assessing stranded California sea lions and seals as a volunteer for Channel Island Marine and Wildlife Institute has provided her with firsthand insight into the trash eco-system while also fostering a sense of personal responsibility for the marine life. She has observed the impact that our trash and human street waste have on sensitive areas along the coast as the flow of stormwater runoff carries litter to the ocean and notes the direct connection between the health of wildlife and humans.

“Sea lions are important to study. They are sentinel mammals, and their health can be indicative of a number of environmental concerns,” she explains. “The trash we tend drop on the ground or let blow from trash cans, ends up in our roadsides, culverts, barrancas, and eventually in the ocean. Our degrading debris is toxic to wildlife.”

During her time clearing trash and debris from the Parkway, she’s seen beer bottles strewn by visitors, she’s watched dump trucks unload heaps of dirt, people change their oil, discard Styrofoam to-go food containers, diapers, dog waste, tangled fishing line, and cigarette butts (she once collected 150 in a ¼ mile radius), but she believes that when people know better, they do better.

Beyond cleaning litter from the coastal roadway and beach areas, Joy has taken measures to address litter at the source by educating the public and connecting with companies and public agencies to ask for their help. She talks with people and shares her passion for keeping trash out of waterways and habitats clean.

“My sense is that if people had a better understanding of ecosystems—and the flow of trash to the sea—that they would be more cautious about litter.”

While doing clean-ups in the neighborhood near Telegraph Road and Ventura College, she regularly noticed 10-12 Starbucks cups in the storm drains on her mile and a half route. In Ventura and Santa Barbara open storm drains flow straight to the ocean. So, she made an appointment to talk with the Starbucks manager and together they outlined a strategy to keep cups out of the stormwater system. Their initiatives included new signs reminding customers to dispose of their trash responsibly. She was also able to voice her concerns to the regional Starbucks manager and open a dialogue with local city officials about more expansive litter-prevention actions they could take.

Joy’s enthusiasm is infectious and her presence along this special stretch of roadway has not only shown people that she cares deeply about the Rincon Parkway, it has inspired others to join in.

“It’s as if my presence there—seeing me in my gloves and mask picking up trash has given people permission to go out there and do something positive too. That feels good.”

Joy is living proof of the power of citizen action. By doing regular clean-ups, meeting with store managers and City agencies, and launching an educational campaign to increase public awareness of the path trash takes through storm drains and creeks to the ocean, she has contributed to a community-wide movement and has empowered others to take steps toward creating change.

We are profoundly grateful.

Science Supports Our Clean Water Work

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Data can provide powerful insights to support environmental change. Channelkeeper regularly collects data related to the composition, quality, and availability of our water resources. Our team uses this data to measure critical threats facing our waters, to support decision-makers in their efforts to protect local waterways, and to raise community awareness and involvement in protecting our water resources. This science-based approach is one that helps us keep local waters clean and that also distinguishes us as a data-driven water quality organization.

Since 2001, Channelkeeper has leveraged citizen science to monitor water quality in local watersheds. Our flagship volunteer monitoring program, Stream Team, is one of the longest running and largest citizen water quality monitoring programs in the State. Stream Team collects baseline water quality data every month at up to 43 sites in our region. Over 1,400 community volunteers have participated in the Stream Team program, all trained to follow State approved quality control protocols. Stream Team data is uploaded to the State’s California Environmental Data Exchange Network. The data has been used as lines of evidence to support multiple listings on the State’s 303(d) Impaired Water Bodies List as well as to support development of Total Maximum Daily Load programs in several local watersheds. Regulatory agencies regularly utilize the data we collect to inform and prioritize their pollution prevention and restoration efforts.

Technological innovations in the field of water quality monitoring have enhanced Channelkeeper’s ability to monitor local watersheds. Specifically, we’ve integrated the use of deployable sensors and data loggers to collect continuous data for various applications. In the Ventura River watershed, Channelkeeper deploys dissolved oxygen data loggers each summer to monitor the water quality effects of algae growth and diminished stream flow. This data was recently used in an evaluation of minimum flow thresholds necessary to preserve water quality for endangered steelhead trout.

We also use deployable data logging devices, such as pressure transducers and conductivity sensors, to document and track illicit discharges emanating from the municipal storm drain system. In 2012, this technique helped us monitor the daily, illegal discharge of industrial brine waste into a local watershed in the City of Goleta. This discovery led to intervention of local and state authorities and the eventual elimination of the pollution source.

In the aftermath of the Plains All American oil spill in 2015, the existence of natural oil seeps that regularly oil beaches off the Santa Barbara coastline led to uncertainty regarding the source of oil on fouled beaches. We launched our Tar Ball Monitoring Program to establish a quantitative baseline dataset of natural oil seep fouling that resource agencies could utilize in the future when evaluating both whether to mobilize clean-up efforts and what appropriate clean-up endpoints should be. To develop this baseline, we conduct quarterly surveys of 14 local beaches along the coastline and document the extent, magnitude, and frequency of natural oiling.

Channelkeeper also helps other agencies gather data. Aboard the RV-Channelkeeper, our 31-foot research vessel, our team has assisted the Department of Public Health with biotoxin monitoring, the Department of Fish and Wildlife with Marine Protected Area compliance monitoring, and University of California Santa Barbara researchers with everything from ocean acidification monitoring, biological surveys, and e-DNA sampling of eelgrass beds.

Data collection and scientific research is integral to Channelkeeper’s efforts to protect and restore the Santa Barbara Channel and its watersheds. This has helped us successfully champion stronger policies that better protect our water resources, clean up pollution hot spots, educate our community, and stop illegal discharges into the Santa Barbara Channel and its tributaries. It’s allowed us to better serve our community by supporting our environmental advocacy with quantitative measurements and has informed every aspect of our clean water work.

The 411 on Film Plastic Recycling in Santa Barbara

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Plastic film – also known as plastic film packaging – is soft, lightweight polyethylene packaging used for grocery, bread, zip-lock, and dry-cleaning bags. It’s also used as a wrapper around products such as paper plates, napkins, bathroom tissue, and diapers.

Many recyclers don’t accept film plastics because the material is often contaminated or torn in the recycling bin, thereby losing its value. Film plastics such as plastic bags also tend to jam up sorting conveyor belts at recycling facilities, causing the machines to be shut down.

However, Santa Barbara has a vibrant film plastics recycling program that was launched by Sasha Ablitt, owner of Ablitt’s Fine Cleaners. After taking over her family’s dry-cleaning business, Ablitt noticed the mounting plastic waste that the company was generating from single-use garment bags, and she was determined  to find a more environmentally friendly solution. She discovered a handful of companies that accept bags and convert them into plastic pellets. She began gathering film plastic and purchased a machine to bale and compress it before sending on for recycling. The film plastic is picked up by a company called Trex, that melts it down and mixes it with virgin plastic to create home and garden products, including outdoor decking materials.

In 2018, after several years of recycling her business’s film plastic, Ablitt realized the program could also serve as a collection site for the public. Santa Barbara Channelkeeper and the Community Environmental Council (CEC) partnered with Ablitt’s Fine Cleaners to provide additional support and create more public drop off centers. Channelkeeper and CEC—with the help of volunteers—hand-sort the plastic and perform quality control checks to ensure that the materials are high-quality and able to be recycled.  Since this program became open to the public, 12,000 pounds of film plastic have been recycled.

At the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, the film plastic recycling project was temporarily suspended.  However, as businesses began to re-open so did the film plastic project, but on an appointment-only basis. Drop off centers at Santa Barbara Channelkeeper and CEC offices as well as at Ablitt’s Fine Cleaners are again accepting film plastic for recycling. Ablitt’s is hosting film plastic drop off events that you can register for by signing up to be on their film plastic email list. CEC and Channelkeeper serve as additional drop off locations and are available by appointment only. More information for CEC and Ablitt’s drop offs is available on their websites. To set up an appointment for drop off at Channelkeeper’s office send us an email at [email protected].

From now on, there will also be training requirements to participate in the program, in order to avoid sorting errors and contamination issues. Community members will now have to sort their own film plastic with a trained volunteer or staff person, and will have to take home any plastic waste that is not accepted for recycling. We greatly appreciate everyone’s efforts to recycle and your commitment to doing it properly.

What you can recycle:

  • Retail, carryout, newspaper, dry cleaning bags (clean, dry, and free of receipts and clothes hangers)
  • Bread bags or tortilla bags turned INSIDE OUT and shaken free of crumbs
  • Plastic shipping envelopes (remove labels/tape as best you can), bubble wrap, and air pillows (deflate)
  • Product wrap on cases of water/soda bottles, paper towels, napkins, disposable cups, bathroom tissue, diapers, and female sanitary products
  • Furniture and electronic wrap
  • Film plastics with a recycle number 2 and 4
  • White Amazon mailers
  • Clean ziplock bags (remove zipper tabs)

    PRO TIP: If the plastic stretches with your thumb and rips in a jagged edge, it is recyclable. If it crinkles and rips straight, it is not recyclable.

Another tip that a community member shared with us that has helped with the sorting is to keep plastic that you weren’t sure if it is accepted in a separate bag from all the good clean and dry film plastic.

**April 2021** Channelkeeper has resumed film plastic collection at our office.

Please note that all drop off locations are now available by appointment only. Please email [email protected] if you would like to schedule a drop-off at Channelkeeper’s office. To sign up to receive info about film plastic collection events at Ablitt’s, please visit https://ablitts.com/filmplastic/. We are also asking community members to come prepared to sort their own film plastic with a staff or trained volunteer and to take home any plastic not accepted.


Backroom Deal Could Saddle Santa Barbara with Dirty Desal for 40 Years

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Last week Channelkeeper noticed an item on the consent agenda for the Santa Barbara City Council’s June 2, 2020 meeting which would have serious implications for the future of our city and its long-term impact on the environment. The City was preparing to sign a contract with the State Department of Water Resources for a $10 million grant for its desalination plant, which would have obligated the City to operate the plant at full capacity (3,125 acre-feet per year, about one-third of current City demand) for 36 out of the next 40 years, regardless of whether or not desalinated water is needed or makes economic sense.

Channelkeeper quickly drafted and emailed a letter to the City Council outlining concerns with both the substance and process of this decision. Our letter notes that current policy and permits only allow the City to use the desalination plant to produce water during a drought emergency, and therefore the City has no legal authority to make this kind of long-term obligation to operate the facility continuously regardless of whether or not we are in a drought. Moreover, entering into a binding agreement with such an obligation directly contradicts commitments the City Council has made publicly to its rate payers numerous times over the past six years that reactivating the desal plant was a temporary emergency measure to meet a shortfall in supply caused by the drought and that the long-term role of desalination in the City’s water supply portfolio would be revisited with full public and environmental review once the drought was over.

Desalination is the City’s most expensive source of water supply, primarily because it requires a huge amount of energy to operate. In fact, reactivating the desal plant has increased the City’s energy use by MORE THAN 50%, causing a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Due to its prohibitively high cost, desal only makes economic sense during droughts when other cheaper sources of supply are limited. In addition, Santa Barbara’s desal plant uses open ocean intakes to draw seawater into the plant, which suck in and kill massive amounts of marine life in the process. Finally, desalination also produces concentrated brine, which is dumped back into the ocean along with a stew of chemical additives and is toxic to marine life.

Channelkeeper has been the sole environmental advocate voicing concerns about desalination since the City first began considering reactivating its mothballed plant six years ago. We’ve urged the City to only consider desalination as a last resort after other, less expensive and less environmentally harmful options – like increased conservation and efficiency, stormwater capture, and recycled water – are fully exhausted. Then, if desalination is still needed to satisfy any remaining shortfall in supply, we’ve urged the use of best available technologies and mitigation to minimize the significant environmental impacts. In its desperate frenzy to secure desal water during the drought, these concerns have largely fallen on deaf ears. Now that the drought is over, it’s time for City leaders to revisit and take a serious look at the rationality and prudence of desal over the long term through an open and transparent public process. 

Compounding the lack of public transparency with which the City was seeking to making this monumental, course-altering commitment is the fact that the City apparently now intends to adopt a new Enhanced Urban Water Management Plan next year without any environmental review.  It’s likely that the City will attempt to redefine desalination as an ongoing source of supply regardless of drought status via this new Plan. It is important to note that the City has never completed an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that analyzes and mitigates the environmental impacts of running the desalination plant as a permanent, ongoing part of the City’s water supply, nor of expanding its capacity to provide water to Montecito for that matter.

In our letter, Channelkeeper urged the City Council to delay signing the grant agreement and the major and unvetted obligations it places on the City and its rate payers and to undertake full environmental review prior to making any shift in policy related to the long-term role and operation of the desalination facility as required by law.

The City subsequently pulled the item from the June 2nd meeting’s consent agenda and has rescheduled it for a public hearing at the June 16th City Council meeting. Channelkeeper encourages you to learn more about the environmental and economic concerns surrounding Santa Barbara’s desalination plant on our website, to check out our recent letter, and to voice your opinion about this serious matter to City Council on or before their June 16th hearing. Thank you for your activism on behalf of our environment!

Celebrating 20 Years of Clean Water and Community Impact

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For 20 years Santa Barbara Channelkeeper has served our community as a vigilant watchdog and tenacious advocate for the Santa Barbara Channel and its watersheds. We’ve successfully championed stronger policies to better protect our water resources, stopped scores of illegal discharges into the Santa Barbara Channel and its tributaries, removed tons of trash from local beaches and creeks, collected and leveraged much-needed scientific data on the health of our streams, beaches and Channel, engaged 4,500 volunteers in our programs, provided environmental education and exploration for 36,000 youth, and so much more.

None of these achievements would have been possible without the generous support of our community and the many partners we’ve worked with over the years. We are deeply grateful, honored and uplifted by the support and trust our community has invested in Channelkeeper over the past two decades to help us become such a powerful and effective force for clean water.

Channelkeeper will be celebrating our 20th anniversary throughout 2020, and I invite you to join the party, because we’ll also be celebrating you! Through a series of fun initiatives and events, we will reflect back on our clean water victories over the past two decades, provide opportunities for our community to explore and connect with the waterways we love and work so hard to protect, and honor and appreciate those who have helped us grow and succeed along the way.

For a sneak peek at what’s to come, in the next few weeks we’ll be unveiling a beautiful new website, launching a super fun new community engagement initiative called the Channelkeeper Challenge, and rolling out the first of a series of multi-media profiles recognizing and appreciating twenty Channelkeeper Heroes who have supported our organization and work over the past 20 years.

Stay tuned for other ways to join in the fun of Channelkeeper’s year-long celebration of making waves for two decades!

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