| The
Ventura Coastkeeper ®, was launched in November 2000, at
Ventura Harbor. VCK, 54th member of the
international Waterkeeper®
Alliance, founded by Robert Kennedy Jr.
(www.waterkeeper.org)
is a community based, non-profit, membership organization
dedicated to protecting, preserving and restoring Ventura County's
marine habitat, coastal waters, and watershed. Ventura Coastkeeper strives
to maintain a healthy environment for everyone in our diverse
community through advocacy, education, enforcement and citizen action.
Mati Waiya is the first Native American to be named a Keeper.
E n v i r o n m e n t a l P r o j e c t s
Local
Issues
- Updated April 2008
Water Quality
Monitoring Program
Calleguas Creek
Watershed Monitoring:
The Ventura
Coastkeeper received a grant from the U.S. EPA to perform a watershed
monitoring program and train a citizen volunteer team to collect
samples at key monitoring sites along the Calleguas Creek and
Revolon Slough. Funding was also received from private foundations
for testing of agricultural runoff at key sites in farming areas. In
January 2006, the project was implemented with a finalized contract
with the EPA. Click here for a current Project
update.
Leigh Ann Grabowsky
(right)
and Paul
Westefer
implemented the ongoing program tasks.
Santa Clara River
Surveys
Wishtoyo / Ventura Coastkeeper received a grant from the Santa Clara
River Trustee Council (Calif. Dept. of Fish and Game and U.S. Fish
& Wildlife Service) to conduct amphibian and benthic
macroinvertebrate surveys along the Santa Clara River.
Amphibians and benthic macroinvertibrates serve as vital signs in
measuring the health of an ecosystem and its resident habitat.
Rincon Creek
Watershed Council Wishtoyo
/ Ventura Coastkeeper participated on the Rincon Creek Watershed
Council, a project funded by a grant from the California Dept. of
Fish and Game. Meetings
were aimed at improving water
quality and helping steelhead migrate back up the creek by working
with local landowners on voluntary restoration projects.
Ormond Beach Wetlands:
VCK completed Phase I and II of the Ormond Beach Wetlands Cleanup
project, funded by the California Coastal Conservancy's Wetlands
Recovery Project Small Grants Program.
Ormond Beach
Wetlands is one of Southern California's last remaining wetlands, and
the site was targeted for possible industrial use. Occidental
Petroleum's attempted purchase of the wetlands, and proposed Liquefied
Natural Gas plant, stirred a large protest by citizens and local
business, as well as the Oxnard Mayor and City council. A media event
was held at Ormond Beach in 2002, to bring this plan to the attention of the public. The Coastal Conservancy later purchased the
wetlands - preserving the site for
future enjoyment by everyone.
VCK's
Successful lawsuit: Industrial Polluter Halted by Ventura Coastkeeper's Efforts
Puretec
Industrial Water Treatment Plant finally closed its doors and left the
city of
Ventura
in a significant action for the improvement of water quality at Ventura’s beaches.
The
company used plastic resin beads in the process, to capture and remove
metal ions from water. The effluent containing metal pollutants
and resin beads was discharged directly into the storm drain system
which ultimately ended up at Ventura beach.
In 2002,
samples were collected and tested by Ventura Coastkeeper, and we
contacted the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board and
soon filed a notice of
intent to sue Puretec for violations of the Federal Clean Water Act.
The
California
firm, Lawyers for Clean Water, was hired to handle the lawsuit.
A settlement was
reached with Puretec, before going to court. Since
that time, the illegal discharges were discontinued and the company
has relocated to Oxnard.
Projects
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