October 2011

Santa Barbara Channelkeeper News & Events

News & Events

Marine Protected Areas Update Momentum Building for Local Bag Bans Plastics in the Ocean Forum November 2nd EPA Releases Fourth Report on Halaco Sampling Results Coastal Clean-up Day a Big Success! SB Harbor & Seafood Festival October 8th Westside Community Clean-up October 15th Ocean Friendly Gardens Workshop October 29th Become a Member

Marine Protected Areas Update

On September 15th, the California Fish and Game Commission announced that the new network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) along the Southern California coast will go into effect on January 1, 2011. This string of underwater wilderness areas will stretch from Point Conception to the Mexico border, protecting places like south La Jolla, Laguna, Point Dume, and local treasures like Point Conception, Naples Reef, Goleta Slough and Campus Point. Over the next couple months, the State will "dot the I's and cross the T's" on the regulatory package to ensure that the MPA implementation process runs smoothly. Officials will also be working to spread the word among ocean users, so help by passing the news on! This week, the Department of Fish and Game launched a new mobile website, which features a comprehensive, interactive map of all California's MPAs (updated as new sites are added) and a GPS plotter that tracks your location relative to the protected zones. Now anglers, divers and other ocean users can look up current information about MPA rules and boundaries from their smartphones. Want to get involved in helping with MPA implementation? Join Channelkeeper's MPA Watch volunteer monitoring program! MPA Watch volunteers record and track human activities in and adjacent to Santa Barbara's new MPAs. The information we collect will be critical in detecting trends in human uses in our MPAs and helping us understand how these activities correspond to biological changes in fish populations resulting from the MPAs. The program will also aid compliance and enforcement efforts to ensure that MPA regulations are followed. Becoming an MPA Watch volunteer is easy and fun. Channelkeeper will be hosting another volunteer training workshop this month, on Tuesday, October 25th at 5:30pm at the Channelkeeper office (714 Bond Avenue, Santa Barbara). If you want to attend or learn more about MPA Watch, please email or call us at 805.563.3377 ext. 2.

Did You Know? When it rains, where does the water from your roof go?

Momentum Building for Local Bag Bans

On September 23rd, the Beach Erosion Authority for Clean Oceans and Nourishment (BEACON), a joint powers agency made up of representatives from cities and counties along our coast from Point Conception to Point Mugu, unanimously passed a resolution endorsing efforts to ban single-use plastic bags by BEACON members. BEACON also discussed preparing a region-wide Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to analyze the environmental impacts of plastic bag bans. Larger cities considering such bans have been preparing EIRs in order to avoid the threat of lawsuits by the plastic industry alleging that these bans have environmental impacts by causing an increase in the use of paper bags. However, EIRs are costly and

Runoff from rooftops during storms can send a huge volume of water to nearby storm drains, exacerbating flooding and water quality problems. Prepare for the winter rains and protect local water quality - if you have a rain gutter that drains directly to a non-porous surface, redirect it to a nearby garden or planter area to allow the rain water to soak into the ground. To learn more about other runoff-reducing measures you can implement on your property, click here.

time-consuming for individual cities to prepare and thus have deterred some from moving forward with plastic bag bans, so a region-wide EIR would really help to advance the development of local bag ordinances along the South Coast. Channelkeeper testified in support of the resolution and a region-wide EIR at the recent BEACON meeting. BEACON will conduct further research into the costs of an EIR and report back at their next meeting in November. Meanwhile, Channelkeeper will continue our education and advocacy efforts to help bring about a reduction in disposable bag use in our area. Stay tuned for updates on the ordinances under development in the cities of Carpinteria and Santa Barbara.

Plastics in the Ocean Forum Wednesday, November 2nd, 6-8 pm

Channelkeeper and the Community Environmental Council are hosting a free screening of the film "Bag It" as part of Antioch University's "Plastics in the Ocean: The Problem with Single-Use Bags" community forum on Wednesday, November 2nd from 6-8 pm at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History's Fleischmann Auditorium. This awardwinning film is a moving, timely and engaging documentary about the environmental and health impacts of our obsessive use of plastics, and plastic bags in particular. Following the screening, Channelkeeper will speak about our efforts to bring about a reduction in bag use in our region and will lead a discussion about what we can do to protect our oceans and marine life from plastic pollution. Please join us and other local ocean advocacy and awareness organizations who will have informational tables at this exciting event.

EPA Releases Fourth Report on Halaco Sampling Results

On August 29th, US EPA released the fourth in a series of reports describing the results of the soil, sediment, and water testing completed in 2009-2010 as part of the remedial investigation for the Halaco Superfund Site in Oxnard. The report describes the results of testing of sediments on the site of former smelter and the waste pile. The testing revealed that the waste left onsite from Halaco's operations is contaminated by elevated levels of various metals (particularly magnesium and aluminum), as well as organic contaminants including PCBs, dioxins and furans, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH). Thorium and radium are present at elevated levels in the wastes buried at the former smelter property and in the bottom several feet of the massive slag heap on the property, which covers 26 acres, towers 35 feet high and contains more than 700,000 cubic yards of waste material left behind by Halaco. Thorium and radium are generally at background levels (i.e., no higher than in clean soils) in the majority of the waste pile. The banks of the Oxnard Industrial Drain (OID), where it passes through the property, consist largely of Halaco's waste materials. Some of the Halaco waste buried on the former smelter property is in contact with groundwater. EPA has completed a screening-level risk assessment that indicates that the waste pile may pose a health risk to people in frequent contact with the wastes. Click here to review the full report. EPA will complete a fifth and final report summarizing results of groundwater sampling toward the end of this year. As part of its Superfund remedial investigation, EPA has been investigating the potential for industrial use of Halaco's wastes. As part of its evaluation, EPA is

considering a pilot-scale test of the feasibility and cost of using the waste to manufacture cement. After its evaluation is complete, EPA will conduct a formal "feasibility study" comparing clean-up options and develop a clean-up proposal for the property. EPA will seek and consider public comments as it evaluates clean-up options and develops a clean-up proposal.

Coastal Clean-up Day a Big Success!

Channelkeeper sincerely thanks the 1,221 volunteers who helped clean up Santa Barbara County's beaches and creeks on September 17th as part of Coastal Clean-up Day! These volunteers cleaned up 30 sites throughout the county and prevented 7,209 pounds of trash from making its way to the ocean. Channelkeeper hosted clean-ups at West Beach (our adopted beach) and at nine of our Goleta Stream Team sites in seven Goleta creeks. Cigarette butts were again the number one trash problem found on West Beach, while the Goleta creeks yielded some interesting items, including a shopping cart and a bucket of used motor oil. Stay tuned for opportunities to participate in other Channelkeeper-hosted clean-ups coming to a beach or creek near you!

Santa Barbara Harbor & Seafood Festival Saturday, October 8th

When it comes to fresh seafood, you can't get it any fresher than right off the boat. On Saturday, October 8th from 10 am-5 pm, the Santa Barbara Harbor & Seafood Festival will lure seafood lovers of all ages to Santa Barbara's thriving Harbor for one of the community's most beloved and flavorful events. Come visit Channelkeeper at our booth on the pier!

Westside Community Clean-up Saturday, October 15th

Join Looking Good Santa Barbara, a City of Santa Barbara Environmental Services program, along with numerous community groups for the Westside Community Clean-up Day on Saturday, October 15th from 9 am to noon. Activities will include a creek clean-up and trash survey with Channelkeeper and the City Creeks Division, neighborhood clean-ups, tree planting, graffiti removal and more. Volunteers will meet at 9:00 am at the Calvary Baptist Church (736 W. Islay Street) to take part in this community event. All clean-up equipment will be provided, and there will be family festivities and lunch following the clean-up. Contact Looking Good Santa Barbara at 897-2526 for more information.

Ocean Friendly Gardens Core Concepts Workshop Tuesday, October 25th

Surfrider's Ocean Friendly Gardens Program is hosting a one-day "Core Concepts" workshop in Santa Barbara on Tuesday, October 25th at the Chase Palm Park Center (236 E. Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara). This workshop is geared toward landscape professionals and folks interested in expanding their understanding of sustainable landscape principles and Ocean Friendly Gardens. Professionals with addresses in Santa Barbara County are eligible for a $200 scholarship! Other upcoming events for the Ocean Friendly Gardens Program in Santa Barbara include a workday and walk (dates TBA). Click here for more information and to register for the workshop.

Become a Channelkeeper Member!

Your support for Channelkeeper's efforts is needed now more than ever. Become a member of the Channelkeeper crew today with your tax-deductible donation. You'll be investing in clean water and healthy communities along the Santa Barbara Channel today and for future generations. With your membership, you will receive our regular newsletters, news updates and action alerts, invitations to special Channelkeeper events and fun volunteer opportunities, and a free Channelkeeper sticker. All new donors contributing $50 or more can also receive a Channelkeeper t-shirt, and for donations of $250 or more, quarterly issues of Waterkeeper magazine. Sign up today by calling 805.563.3377 ext. 4 or emailing us.

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