Santa Barbara Channelkeeper

Keeping Watch for Clean Water

Polluted Runoff

Clean Water Starts with Us: How We Can Help Address Water Pollution

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Water pollution is a complex issue with far-reaching consequences for ecosystems, human health, and the planet as a whole. However, the good news is that each of us has the power to make a positive impact with everyday actions we take. Here’s a closer look at water pollution, its effects, and how you can contribute to a cleaner, healthier environment. 

Understanding Water Pollution 

Water is a universal solvent, able to dissolve more substances than any other liquid on Earth. While this is a positive attribute that allows it to dissolve minerals like sodium chloride for the world’s oceans and to transport nutrients in our blood, it also means that water can easily become polluted when toxins are introduced.  

Water pollution occurs when harmful substances contaminate waterways like rivers, streams, lakes, and oceans, making them unsafe for consumption and damaging aquatic life. This pollution can come from various sources: 

  • Industrial Discharges: Factories and industrial plants can release pollutants into rivers and lakes through direct discharge or stormwater systems. 
  • Agricultural Pollution: Pesticides and fertilizers used in farming can wash into waterways, introducing harmful chemicals and excess nutrients. 
  • Sewage and Wastewater: Inadequate treatment of sewage and wastewater can introduce pathogens and pollutants into water systems. 
  • Stormwater Pollution: Chemicals, oil, grease, and nutrients can drain into municipal stormdrains and eventually local waterways 
  • Plastic Pollution: Single-use plastics and other debris can end up in oceans and rivers, causing harm to wildlife and ecosystems. 
  • Oil Spills: Accidental spills from ships and pipelines release harmful chemicals into the water, devastating aquatic environments. 

The Impact of Water Pollution 

The consequences of water pollution are severe: 

  • Health Risks: Contaminated water can carry diseases and toxins, leading to serious health issues for humans, including gastrointestinal problems, neurological disorders, and even cancer. 
  • Ecosystem Damage: Pollutants can disrupt aquatic ecosystems, harming fish, plants, and other wildlife. This disruption can lead to the collapse of local ecosystems and biodiversity loss. 
  • Economic Costs: Cleanup efforts, healthcare costs, and loss of recreational opportunities due to polluted water can have substantial economic impacts on communities. 

Local Efforts to Prevent Water Pollution 

Protecting water quality in the Santa Barbara Channel is at the core of Channelkeeper’s work to ensure that our community has access to clean, drinkable, swimmable, fishable water. To that effect, Channelkeeper monitors and advocates to protect water quality in the Santa Barbara Channel and surrounding watersheds. 

Our team gathers and shares water quality data to help decision-makers protect and restore local waterways and to foster wider community awareness and involvement in protecting water quality. We collect plankton samples to monitor harmful algal blooms, we respond to community member reports of pollution, and take action to ensure enforcement of fundamental environmental laws. We also mobilize community members to help us protect our waterways by picking up trash, plastic, and marine debris.  

How You Can Help: A Community Approach 

Reducing and preventing water pollution requires collective effort. Here are a few practical steps you can take to contribute to cleaner water: 

  • Proper Disposal of Chemicals and Waste: Avoid dumping chemicals, oils, pharmaceuticals, and hazardous substances down the drain, and make sure that your car doesn’t leak oil, antifreeze, or coolant. Be mindful of anything that goes into storm drains, since they flow directly into local waterways. 
  • Participate in Local Cleanup Events: Help protect water sources. Volunteer with Channelkeeper’s Watershed Brigade to remove trash from beaches, creeks, rivers, and urban areas.  Help keep local waterways and the environment clean! 
  • Reduce Plastic Use: Minimize your use of single-use plastics. Choose reusable bags, bottles, and containers. Properly recycle plastic waste and participate in local cleanup events to remove plastics from natural environments. Support companies that make decisions to use less single-use plastic and advocate for policies that work to address plastic pollution at its source.  
  • Use Eco-Friendly Products: Choose environmentally friendly cleaning products, pesticides, and fertilizers. Many of these products are designed to minimize harm to aquatic ecosystems. 
  • Educate Yourself and Others: Learn about where your water comes from and where it goes after you use it. Does your drinking water come from a well, a river, lake, or reservoir? Is the wastewater from your home treated at a facility or does it collect into a septic system? Where does stormwater flow to?  As you learn, you will be able to determine where your actions will have the most impact. Help raise awareness about water pollution within your community. Educate friends, family, and neighbors about the importance of water conservation and pollution prevention.  
  • Reduce Runoff: If you have a garden or lawn, avoid over-fertilizing and use natural methods to control pests. Redirect downspouts to landscape and install rain harvesting tools like barrels and cisterns. Implement rain gardens or permeable pavements to reduce runoff and improve water absorption. 
  • Conserve Water: Conserving water reduces the volume of wastewater that must be treated and decreases the strain on local water resources. Simple actions like fixing leaks, taking shorter showers, and using water-efficient fixtures can make a big difference. 
  • Be an Advocate: Use your voice to stand up for clean water. Speak out in support of the Clean Water Act, which helps hold polluters accountable. Tell your local elected officials that you support water protections and investments in infrastructure. 

We are All Part of the Solution to Water Pollution 

When it comes to water pollution, every action counts. By making mindful choices and encouraging others to do the same, each of us can significantly reduce our contribution to water pollution and help protect our precious water resources. Together, we can foster healthier ecosystems and communities and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come. Clean water is not just a necessity—it’s a right that we can all work to preserve.  

Channelkeeper Seeks Answers in the Wake of Goleta Slough and Beach Sewage Spill

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More than 1 million gallons of untreated sewage spilled from a 24-inch forcemain pipe maintained by Goleta West Sanitary District on February 16 and 17, polluting the Goleta Slough and nearby beaches. 

This is the largest spill reported in Santa Barbara County in the past decade. In fact, it is more than 100 times greater than the next largest spill on record—two separate 9,000-gallon spills that affected Cieneguitas and Mission Creeks in the winter of 2023.  

Santa Barbara County Public Health Officials have advised that the area from 1 mile east to ½-mile west of the Goleta Slough outfall will remain closed until water testing indicates that it is safe for the public. The area has been posted with signs warning the public to avoid contact with the water because sewage-contaminated water increases the risk for certain types of illnesses. Community members can find updated water quality testing data here on the County on Santa Barbara County’s ocean monitoring web page.  

Channelkeeper is alarmed by the massive volume of this spill and shares the community’s concern about the public health impacts to beachgoers and the impacts to the fish, wildlife, and habitats of the Goleta Slough and surrounding ocean ecosystem. We are also interested to learn more about what caused the spill, the breakdown in communications related to the spill, and the delayed public notification of the spill and beach closures. 

Goleta West Sanitary District (Goleta West) submitted its initial report to the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Water Board) on March 1. It will submit a follow-up technical report about the spill and response by April 4.  

On March 4, the Regional Water Board issued a Notice of Violation to Goleta West about the alleged violations to clean water regulations stemming from the spill. The Regional Board is investigating the spill and response. 

The spill was caused by a small crack in a 24-inch force main pipe operated by Goleta West. It began on the evening of February 16, was discovered at 8:30 am on Saturday, February 17, and stopped shortly thereafter. We have heard reports that the pipe was significantly corroded with thin walls. Channelkeeper is interested to learn more about the condition of the pipes, results of recent pipe inspections, and why a significant reduction in normal sewage flow through the system wasn’t observed sooner.  

A breakdown in critical communications took place among state, county, and local agencies. First, it isn’t clear what was officially reported as the initial estimate of the spill – either 1,000 gallons or 30,000 gallons. However, several days later, the spill was estimated to be 500,000 gallons. On the following day, the total increased to 1 million gallons. We are troubled that the early underestimation of the sewage spill delayed the involvement of other agencies responsible for ocean water testing, beach closures, and wildlife surveys.  

Second, it took five days from the start of the sewage spill for the public health agency to become aware of it and then an additional day to close local beaches. This breakdown in communications is unacceptable. Channelkeeper is forwarding ideas for providing prompt and accessible public information about sewage spills and beach closures.    

Since the spill, Channelkeeper has attended and provided public comments before the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, Goleta West Sanitary District, Goleta Sanitary District, and Goleta City Council. We have also raised our concerns with representatives of the State and Regional Water Quality Control Boards. We will continue to monitor public meetings and the ongoing investigation. We will continue to work collaboratively with community leaders who share our concerns. We have and will be offering recommendations to put in place preventive measures that our community and public agencies can take to better ensure that something like this doesn’t happen again.  

Storm Response Cleanup 

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Help Keep Trash Out of the Santa Barbara Channel

Every time it rains, stormwater enters the City of Santa Barbara’s storm drain system and flows untreated to the ocean. On its way, this water picks up trash and debris that litters our streets and sidewalks. A lot of this trash ultimately ends up on our beaches. Wildlife can ingest and/or become entangled in plastic and other pieces of trash. Stormwater is a major source of pollution for our creeks, wetlands, and ocean.  

Cleaning up the mess and keeping trash out of the ocean is a massive job that calls for the Watershed Brigade! This litter-fighting group of Channelkeeper volunteers acts as the last line of defense by heading out in groups or on their own to remove trash from city streets, trails, parks, and beaches before it can be swept into the ocean. Volunteers clean up trash higher in the watershed prior to forecasted rain events to prevent trash from entering storm drains and along the coast after storms.  

Interested in conducting a Watershed Brigade storm response cleanup? Before you head out, take a look at our cleanup safety guidelines.  Important storm-related guidelines include checking the local weather forecast and tide levels; wearing protective clothing, shoes, and gloves; and remembering to put your personal safety first. High tides, waves, outflows, and currents can be dangerous during and after storms. To minimize potential health risks, Santa Barbara County Environmental Health Services recommends that people do not swim, play, or surf in the ocean and creeks for at least three days (72 hours) following a significant rainfall event.  

Channelkeeper has trash grabbers, bags, gloves, and buckets that volunteers are welcome to borrow and use. We’re grateful for your help to remove trash and debris from our coastline.  

In an effort to stop the flow of pollution into our local waterways and prevent the need for future storm response cleanups, Channelkeeper also continuously advocates for upstream solutions. We have worked along with partner organizations to convince municipalities across our region to adopt ordinances that ban the distribution of plastic grocery bags, Styrofoam takeout containers, and plastic straws, stirrers, and cutlery. In addition, we work to educate the community about the impacts of single-use plastics on our oceans, wildlife, and human health. Channelkeeper also supports an initiative spearheaded by Abblitt’s Fine Cleaners to recycle film plastic. 

To join the Watershed Brigade, visit our webpage, join our Facebook Group, or follow us on Instagram (@Watershedbrigade). 

Every Yard Counts in Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change

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The Santa Barbara Channel is vulnerable to the impacts of a changing climate. Your yard can help protect it. 

The Santa Barbara Channel is one of the most biologically productive ecosystems found on Earth. However, changing oceanographic processes, warming water temperatures, ocean acidification, and sea level rise produced by a changing climate are already affecting the health of marine ecosystems.  

We’ve seen recently how coastal runoff from intense rains and flooding flushes trash and debris into the Santa Barbara Channel, degrading water quality. We’ve also seen how high nutrient levels from coastal runoff contribute to harmful algal blooms. Yet our community can minimize some of these impacts by making a few changes in their own yards.  

By conserving water and managing runoff, focusing on soil health, and reducing emissions from lawn care equipment, each of us can lessen our yard’s climate impact while conserving resources and enhancing habitat. Here are a few ideas to implement in your landscaped space. 

Replace Your Lawn

Fertilizing, mowing, blowing, and irrigating a lawn leads to a sizable climate footprint. In 2011, an Environmental Protection Agency report found that gas-powered lawn and garden equipment emitted approximately 6.3 million tons of volatile organic compounds and criteria pollutants (carbon, nitrous oxide, and particulate matter), and 20.4 million tons of carbon dioxide. By planting a variety of native, drought-tolerant plants, trees, shrubs, and ground covers that don’t require high maintenance, you can reduce your landscape’s water use, while providing habitat for birds, pollinators, and beneficial insects. You can make the transition gradually over time by replacing a different patch of turf each year. In addition, many municipalities offer rebates when you replace your lawn with water-wise plants. 

Focus on Soil Health

Healthy soils are the base of thriving ecosystems. Soils rich with organic matter support healthy populations of beneficial organisms while retaining moisture and helping sequester carbon. 

Avoid using synthetic fertilizers. Synthetic fertilizers are not only extremely energy-intensive to manufacture, but they also provide more nitrogen than plants can absorb, contributing to polluted runoff and hazardous algae blooms in the ocean, lakes, and rivers that collect runoff. 

Alternatively, composting food and yard waste is a great way to build healthy soil in your yard. Organic material will improve the fertility, soil structure, and water-holding capacity of your landscape. Planting a cover crop is another way to support healthy soil since plants can help hold soil prevent runoff during heavy rains, protect soil from evaporation during droughts, and capture nutrients to prevent nutrient loss in runoff.  

Be Water Wise

Long periods of drought followed by heavy rains make it increasingly important for each of us to manage and use water wisely. Collecting water from your roof in rain barrels, a cistern, or storage tanks can help you to retain water for future use.  

It’s also a good idea to consider the permeability of your landscape and make the most of downpours by diverting stormwater to designated areas in your yard where it can infiltrate and recharge groundwater resources.  

When irrigation is necessary, drip systems tend to waste less water to evaporation and runoff than conventional sprinklers. Mulching around the base of plants can also help prevent moisture loss while nourishing the soil. 

Use People Power

Reduce your yard’s greenhouse gas emissions by limiting the gas-powered equipment you use to maintain it. Lawn and garden equipment like lawnmowers and leaf blowers account for up five percent of total air pollution in the United States. In fact, according to the EPA, one gas mower spews 88 lbs. of greenhouse gas CO2, and 34 lbs. of other pollutants into the air every year. For a climate-smart alternative, choose hand tools like reel mowers, shovels, and brooms. 

Resources: 

Santa Barbara County 
 
WaterWise Santa Barbara Landscape Rebate Program 

Green Gardener Program 

WaterWise Garden Contest 

Ventura County 

Ventura Water Turf Replacement Rebate 

Ventura Water Conservation Resources 

Drip Irrigation Retrofit Program 

Holding Agricultural Polluters Accountable

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The State Water Quality Control Board recently accepted our coalition’s request to review the rules regulating pollution from irrigated agriculture.

Fertile soils, abundant sunshine, and cool, coastal influence make Santa Barbara County a prosperous agricultural region with 720,000 acres of farmland. While climate and soil characteristics in Santa Barbara County provide for optimal crop yields, pollution that results from agricultural runoff has detrimental impacts on the environment and the health of our community.

In California, irrigated agriculture is the number one source of pollution to rivers, streams, and groundwater supplies. Despite this fact, discharges from irrigated agriculture are not regulated by the Federal Clean Water Act. Agricultural pollution in Santa Barbara County is regulated by the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board through a program previously known as the Ag Waiver. In April 2021, the Regional Board reviewed and approved Ag Order 4.0, the latest iteration of the regional program that is supposed to protect our waterways from fertilizer and pesticide pollution.

California Coastkeeper Alliance (CCKA), Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, Monterey Coastkeeper, and other allies have worked tirelessly for many years advocating for common-sense rules that would require the agricultural industry to protect both surface water and groundwater.

While the new Ag Order 4.0 rules are lacking in many ways, they also represent important advancements. For example, for the first time in history, fertilizer application limits were set in an effort to prevent overapplications of nitrogen. This is an important step toward addressing nitrate pollution problems.

Despite improvements, Ag Order 4.0 is significantly flawed. The Regional Water Board caved to political pressure from the industry to avoid collecting minimal site-specific water quality data so pollution can be traced to its source. Fertilizer application limits, while critically important, are set so high that only the most egregious applications are limited, and many water supplies will continue to degrade for decades to come. Additional loopholes and exemptions abound within the Order.

California Coastkeeper Alliance, Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, and Monterey Coastkeeper are working to ensure agricultural practices on the Central and South Coasts are protective and lead to fishable, swimmable, and drinkable water in our creeks, rivers, and coastal areas. 

First, we are working with other stakeholders and the Regional Board to make sure the existing rules of Ag Order 4.0 are implemented in a timely, fair, and effective manner.

Second, we successfully petitioned the State Water Quality Board to review Ag Order 4.0 and are demanding that it be improved. Specifically, we are advocating that the State Water Board:

  1. Require water quality monitoring that allows the Regional Board to determine which farms are polluting so they can be held accountable for degrading our waterways.
  2. Include timelines attached to enforceable, quantifiable milestones to ensure that farms make progress over a reasonable period of time and eventually meet water quality standards.
  3. Establish and maintain healthy riparian zones to protect water quality and natural ecosystems.

Ultimately, the duty of the Water Boards is to protect and restore water quality for today and generations to come, not to protect corporate agriculture. We will defend the modest improvements proposed by the Central Coast Regional Board and continue to fight for stronger rules that will fully protect our shared water resources.

For more detail, see CCKA’s Principles to Protect Californians and Our Waterways from Unsustainable Ag, available here.

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