More River Cleanups

During the week of September 17, the County of Ventura did a major cleanup of the Ventura River starting at the upper end of the levee at Stanley Rd, working their way down to the Main Street bridge.  Officials estimated 100 tons of trash and debris were removed. This effort was planned and coordinated with the City of Ventura and other responsible parties in the Trash TMDL, as well the social services organizations working to help relocate those who called the riverbottom home.

The Ventura Hillsides Conservancy held two volunteer work days in September, with more being planned in October and November.  The video below was filmed for CAPS cable TV in Ventura:

The Ventura Hillsides Conservancy work days have filled three large dumpsters, with many more to go.  The photo below shows trash piled up along the bank of the river.  September sees the lowest flows of the year, and when the rains come all this debris will be flushed out of the rivermouth into the ocean and onto the beaches!  

The next work day is scheduled for October 27, and VHC hopes to remove these piles (this is just one) before the rains come.  See below for more info.

Graffiti under Main St bridge

As this image suggests, there is more to this issue than cleaning up the mess.  The riverbottom has been home for many people, with the population increasing dramatically over the past decade.  The Ventura River has become a destination, both for those seeking refuge, as well as other cities seeking a place to send their homeless.  EVICTION DAY is a film that focuses on the environmental issue surrounding the habitation by homeless in the mouth of the Ventura River.  The film will be showing at the Ojai Film Festival on Saturday Oct 27, as part of the afternoon Focus Earth -OCEANS and WATER.  Paul Jenkin of The Surfrider Foundation and Ben Pitterle of Santa Barbara Channelkeeper will head up the panel discussion related to ocean and watershed environmental issues. 

Volunteer Event:

River Clean -Up - VHC Willoughby Property - Saturday, October 27 9AM-Noon.  This event is part of the Points of Light Institute's "Make a Difference" Day of Service. We've cut the grass, now it's time to take out the trash. Yes, we have quite a schedule of chores ahead of us on the Willoughby Property.  If you have looked over the Main Street Bridge lately you know what we mean.  The CREW has cleared a great deal of Arundo exposing mounds of trash and debris.  E. J. Harrison will provide the roll-off bin, we'll have the buckets, gloves, grabbers and protective gear.  You bring hard-toed shoes, long pants and long-sleeve shirts and sun protection.  Park at the Main Street lot or along Peking or better yet ride your bike! Together we can make a big difference in the River.
More info: lsherman@venturahillsides.org or  643-8044.


In the news:
 Officials clean up Ventura River bottom for what they hope is last time - VC Star

The Ventura River bottom diaspora
...    “Free camping [in the river bottom] is not free because of the cost of police and fire and all those people living in unsanitary conditions ending up in county hospitals [or] prisons that taxpayers pay for,” said Paul Jenkin, a representative from Friends of the Ventura River coalition.

Restoration and recreation replacing dangerous illegal camping along the Ventura River - VCReporter

Trash piled up under the Main Street Bridge, Sept 23, 2012

One of the filled dumpsters with trash from the lower Ventura River

VHC River Cleanup

You may have heard the news: nine acres of Ventura River land was donated to the Ventura Hillside Conservancy for public use, and the organization plans to restore the property and establish small parks and pathways as part of the Ventura River Parkway.

Work began last month with clearing of Arundo donax (giant reed) by the CREW, but that is just the beginning.  Following an ultimatum set by local government, and with repeated visits and interaction, the illegal camps in the riverbottom are being dismantled.  Mounds of trash and debris are being exposed, and the Conservancy plans to systematically clean up the area as the rainy season fast approaches.  A large flood would wash everything onto the beaches...

On Saturday September 8, a crew of about 20 volunteers got down and dirty, and within two hours had completely filled a 40 foot roll-off dumpster provided by EJ Harrison!

piles of trash before cleanup

after cleanup

view from Main St bridge before cleanup

view from Main St bridge after cleanup

There is lots more to do - this cleanup was just one single long-term camp, and there are many more throughout the Conservancy property.

The Ventura Hillsides Conservancy will be working every other weekend to clean up the mess in the riverbottom.  E. J. Harrison will provide the roll-off bin, we'll have the buckets, gloves, grabbers and protective gear.  You bring hard-toed shoes, long pants and long-sleeve shirts and sun protection.  Together we can make a big difference in the River.

Next cleanup will be Sunday September 23 - Meet at the Main St Bridge at 9 am on Sunday.  Our river needs you!

Please contact Lee at the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy for more information: lsherman@venturahillsides.org. 643-8044

In the News:

CREW clears way for river restoration

Fire concerns cancel Ventura River cleanup
..

Why is the ocean brown?

Every time it rains, runoff from the land impacts the river and coast.  And although we have accepted the 'chocolate milk' surf as normal after it rains, it has not always been this way.  This is what is known as a 'Shifting Baseline.'  (See Shifting Baselines in the Surf)

Rainfall this weekend was equivalent to what is known as the 'design storm' - we received approximately one inch over a 12 hour period.  For regulatory and engineering purposes, this quantity of rainfall can and should be retained on site.  This requirement is in the Ventura Countywide 'MS4'  (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) Permit, as a standard that all new development will be held to.

The problem, however, is that over the past 100 years our development patterns have directed rainfall off the land, into storm drains, and directly into the river and ocean.

URBAN RUNOFF:

Here's what Ventura Avenue looked like during the rain: the parking shoulder was flowing like a creek.  This is an example of Urban Runoff, and the water here is carrying everything from 'dog poop' and trash, to brake fluid and pesticides, into the storm drains and out to sea.

INDUSTRIAL RUNOFF:

A little further up the Avenue are the oil fields.  Here the runoff changes to a muddy brown.  Here erosion of soil from miles of oilfield roads in the hills and large impervious work yards flushes into the street...

...into the storm drains, and out to the ocean.  Any chemicals that have spilled or absorbed into the ground are flushed off the land along with this soil.

Santa Barbara ChannelKeeper Stream Team volunteers have been sampling this site for a couple of years, and although oil and gas is generally exempt from clean water rules, Santa Barbara ChannelKeeper has been successful in forcing Aera Energy to enroll in the industrial stormwater permit program.  

This video, starting around 3:20, describes ChannelKeeper's work and illustrates the runoff from this area, and also shows how security guards harass watchdogs, even though this is a public street.  

AGRICULTURAL RUNOFF: 

As the video illustrates, another major source of pollution agriculture.  Both livestock and irrigated crops contribute to water quality problems.  

One area we have been watching is the recent expansion of orchards and row crops at Taylor Ranch on the west side of the Ventura River.  This strawberry field was sprayed with chemicals on Friday, despite the storm bearing down on the region.  Because conventional strawberry growers use plastic to cover the ground, these fields generate significant runoff when it rains. 

Here a Santa Barbara ChannelKeeper volunteer is collecting a water sample from under the Main St bridge, just downstream of these fields.    Note the color of the river water. This sample will be analyzed for pesticides...  although a full-suite analysis would likely turn up a variety of pollutants.

Under the bridge is one of dozens of campsites in the floodplain - another issue of concern documented here: Salmon Run focuses on trash issue

We also went to look at the runoff onto Emma Wood State Beach from the strawberry fields up on the hill at Taylor Ranch.  This is a problem we first documented in 2007  when the fields were first developed.  We continue to received numerous reports from beach users, and this photo confirms that runoff still directly enters the ocean from these fields every time it rains.

The combination of all these sources, known as 'Non-Point Source Pollution' has a significant impact on our coastal water quality and health of the ecosystem.  The fine sediments that enter the river and ocean linger for months, and this is why the water at Surfers' Point often appears muddy, long after the rains have stopped.

This diagram summarizes the issues outlined here.  This is just a small part of the big picture...


...

Salmon Run focuses on trash issue

This year's Salmon Run, the 18th annual event organized by Patagonia, sold out at 400 registered runners.  This is the one time every year when the lower Ventura River is open to the public for this fundraiser event.  (One reason why you should sign our petition for the Ventura River Parkway)

Santa Barbara ChannelKeeper placed signs along the course to tell the story of trash and human waste in the lower Ventura River.  "It is estimated that 150-200 people live in the riverbottom throughout the year without garbage or sanitary services" 

 

Santa Barbara ChannelKeeper has been working to address this problem,  currently one of the most serious threats to water quality in the Ventura River watershed.  Last year Stream Team volunteers mapped the extent of camping in the estuary area: http://www.venturariver.org/2011/04/stream-team-trash-survey.html

Watch this video as ChannelKeeper's Ben Pitterle documents the extent of the problem:

More photos from the Salmon Run:

Stream Team Trash Survey

On March 5th 2011, Ventura River Stream Team volunteers spent a Saturday morning mapping trash in the Ventura River estuary. The estimated 200 people living in the river-bottom generate a tremendous amount of waste - both 'trash' and human waste.

It is clear that this is a severe problem that directly impacts water quality in the estuary and the heavily used beaches near the rivermouth (i.e. Surfers' Point)










On April 5, 2011, Santa Barbara ChannelKeeper sent a letter to the City of Ventura and responsible agencies documenting the results.

The letter says:

During this event, thirteen volunteers inspected public lands on the eastern floodplain of the Ventura River from the Highway 101 bridge to the Pacific Ocean. Over the course of only two hours, volunteers located and documented over 35 dump sites containing human waste, garbage, chemicals, and active and abandoned campsites. Channelkeeper has compiled the results of this survey in a photographic report that is available on our website (www.sbck.org) .

Most of the waste identified during our survey has accumulated since the same area was targeted by City cleanup efforts last August. In fact, according to the City of Ventura, over 55 tons of garbage have already been removed from the Ventura River over the past three years. As our report demonstrates, however, waste continues to be generated at an alarming rate.
We note that the condition of these sites has likely changed dramatically since these observations were recorded. On the weekend of March 19th and 20th, a significant rainfall event occurred during which the river’s elevation rose dramatically, enough to flood the occupied stream banks, stranding homeless residents and requiring emergency helicopter evacuations. Neither Channelkeeper staff nor Stream Team volunteers have re‐visited these sites since these observations were recorded, but waste from many of these sites likely washed downstream onto the beach and into the ocean.


...We also believe that without an additional focus on long‐term preventative solutions, that the Responsible Parties participating in the Ventura River Trash Total Maximum Daily Load program will continue to be unable to meet mandatory limits established to protect water quality.


The complete report, including dozens of photos like those shown here, may be downloaded from the SBCK website here: http://sbck.org/


In the news: http://www.kclu.org/news/local/story.php?story_id=914

First Flush

It rained this week for the first time in months. Despite the parched ground, the urban areas were flowing. According to the news, "Southbound lanes of Sanjon Road near Harbor Boulevard in Ventura were closed at one point because of flooding"

Here are 'first flush' photos from SanBuenaventura State Beach, Sanjon Drain:

Here's a collection of shopping carts gathered from the Ventura River Estuary during Coastal Cleanup Day:

McGrath Lake cleanup?

Ever wonder why the water seems so nasty along the Oxnard beachbreaks?

An article in the Ventura County Star states "Landowners fear cost of cleaning up McGrath Lake."

"...the state wants to clean the lake of DDT, PCBs and other pollutants. ...The proposed cleanup methods range from capping the shallow lake with dirt, which would cost $1.4 million, to dredging it of the polluted sediment, which could cost nearly $12 million."


This is potentially good news for those who surf the Oxnard beach breaks, as McGrath Lake is one of the toxic legacies that directly impact the surf zone. Agricultural runoff from the strawberry fields across the street are pumped into the 'lake,' where agritoxins are blended and overflow onto the beach. Longshore currents carry these toxins along the beach, usually downcoast except in south swells. The combination of McGrath Lake with Ventura wastewater and discharges from the Mandalay power plant create typically turbid (i.e. brown) water that is kept close to shore by breaking waves.


View Ventura River in a larger map


Although landowners are concerned that this order will be unaffordable, it is clear that the time has come to solve this problem. A public hearing is scheduled for October 1, at the City of Simi Valley Council Chambers, 2929 Tapo Canyon Road.

Consideration of proposed Basin Plan Amendment to incorporate a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for PCBs, Pesticides and Sediment Toxicity in McGrath Lake. (Comment submittal deadline was September 3, 2009) [Elisha Wakefield, (213) 576-6763]



More info: LA Regional Water Quality Control Board

http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/losangeles/board_decisions/basin_plan_amendments/technical_documents/bpa_76_New_td.shtml

In a revised notice released on September 24, 2009;
The Regional Board recognizes that cooperative parties will need to secure funding
from outside sources for in-lake sediment remediation and monitoring in order to
successfully implement the TMDL. The Regional Board supports the use of State
Board Cleanup and Abatement Account Funds to implement the TMDL and hereby
directs staff to begin working with cooperative parties to apply for Cleanup and
Abatement Account Funding.

McGrath Lake is a small, back dune lake located in coastal Ventura County.
Situated at the southern end of McGrath State Beach Park, the lake is south of
the McGrath State Beach Campground and west of Harbor Blvd. Much of the
adjacent area to the east is utilized for agricultural operations, such as
strawberries, celery and cut flowers. The dominant land use in the McGrath
watershed is agriculture, accounting for approximately 78% of the total land use.
McGrath Lake is located within the McGrath Lake sub-watershed, which is
approximately 1,700 acres and part of the larger Santa Clara River watershed.
Prior to agricultural development within the region, the lake and surrounding area
was part of the extensive wetland and floodplain complex of the Santa Clara
River Delta. Tile drains installed in the region allowed for extensive agricultural
operations and have greatly reduced the flooded soils and resulting wetlands. In
1958, Harbor Boulevard was built east of the park and lake, further disrupting the
hydrological inputs to McGrath Lake. The lake is a receiving water for tile drain
discharge, irrigation runoff, and stormwater from agricultural operations in the
sub-watershed. An artificial discharge of lake water to McGrath State Beach
occurs through the use of pumps to keep flooding of the fields east of Harbor
Blvd to a minimum.

Volunteer cleanup

THANKS to the volunteers came out on Saturday to assist with the cleanup of the paintball site.

According to the city's project manager:

"What an excellent turn out with major progress last Saturday. There were 23 on the sign in sheet.

By the end of Tuesday we may have hauled a majority of the materials away. The tree house will be removed by Rick Bisaccia, Ojai Valley Land Conservancy. County Work Release Program will be there again assisting the City's Distribution equipment operators with the loading operations.

The remaining challenge is the paintballs. We have an industrial truck mounted vacuum that might work well."

Paintball Cleanup

Paintball Cleanup on the Ventura River
Saturday, August 22nd, 9am-12pm

We need volunteers to help cleanup a huge illegal dump site at an area along the Ventura River used for paintball battles that has recently been shut down by the City.

Volunteers will help collect hundreds of pounds of recyclable materials and paint balls as a part of a larger effort to remediate this site. This project is in partnership with the City of Ventura and Ventura Surfrider Foundation.

When: Saturday, August 22nd, 9 am-12pm

Where: From Hwy 101 take Hwy 33 North. Exit on Casitas Vista Road and turn left (towards Foster Park). Drive approximately ½ mile (over bridge) and veer right on Santa Ana Rd. Drive approximately one mile to cleanup area on right (will be posted).

What to bring: Drinks, gloves, and trash bags provided. Please bring sunscreen or a hat and dress appropriately. Sturdy shoes and long pants recommended.

To RSVP and for questions contact Ben Pitterle at ben@sbck.org




Background: Early this summer, we were contacted by locals concerned about the growing problem in the riverbed. After visiting the site and witnessing the trash and debris, we learned that this is within the City of Ventura's water supply protection area, located just upstream from the wells at Foster Park. We notified the city, who took prompt action to investigate and coordinate cleanup activities. The area is now posted against trespass and paintball activities have stopped.

runoff and sewage

tried looking for surf yesterday. I normally don't even consider it after the rains, but wanted to show an out of town visitor around...

headed up the coast, hoping for cleaner water...

the oilfields were flowing hard, large brown plumes entering the ocean.

Hobson looked cleaner, surf was rideable...

the work crew on the road said "I wouldn't go out there if I were you"

sewage pipe had broken...

no signs posted on the beach. I thought this was legally required if there was a sewage spill...

I'll stick to the bike for a while...

Algae: problem or symptom?

The EPA has listed the Ventura River as an "impaired water body" for a variety of problems, including trash, bacteria, water diversion and pumping, and pesticides (DDT/PCBs). The Clean Water Act requires that government take action to solve the problems to ensure the river is fishable and swimable. The regulatory mechanism for this is "Total Maximum Daily Load," or TMDL.

For the past year, the State Water Quality Control Board has been working to develop a TMDL for Algae in the Ventura River. See also the County of Ventura website.

The primary concern is that algae growth may be fueled by excess nutrients (nitrate and phosphate), which in turn creates large daily swings in dissolved oxygen (DO.) If DO drops below 4 mg/l, aquatic life can become stressed and fish kills may occur. (This is also called 'eutrophication') The presence of endangered species makes this issue even more critical.

Stream Team volunteer data has been used along with scientific analysis at UCSB to monitor and study algae over the past year. This graph is actual data from 24 hours of sampling on the Ventura River. It illustrates how photosynthesizing algae releases O2 during daylight hours, generating peak DO measurements in the early afternoon. However, overnight DO levels drop dramatically, with a minimum in the pre-dawn hours.


Traditionally, nutrients are seen as the driver for excess algae growth. Nutrients may originate from broad land uses such as agriculture, livestock, septic tanks, treated wastewater, as well as atmospheric deposition. It turns out that algae is widespread throughout the Ventura River watershed, and is highly variable with season and annual climate (wet or dry year.) Algae is also dependent on river flows, water temperature, sedimentation, and a host of other variables.

Because of these complex relationships, algae may be seen as a symptom of ecological stress, rather than a problem in itself. This raises a complex question when it comes to regulating algae as a pollutant: the TMDL process was originally developed to control point-source pollution.

Recent literature points to the need for an ecosystem level approach to solving such problems. A useful reference is Water Quality: Management of a Natural Resource

It is clear that in this watershed with shallow, over-drafted aquifers and strong surface water/groundwater interactions, a meaningful algae TMDL will require a watershed approach that takes into account ecosystem processes. Integrated watershed management will be necessary to address excess algae in the Ventura River.

Here's one solution: convert all those algae forming nutrients to biodiesel

First Flush

Sanjon Rd, bottom of the urban watershed

Agricultural discharges along the lower Ventura River

Last year local beach users documented extreme impacts from new agriculture on Taylor Ranch, above the beach at Emma Wood State Beach. Irrigation of the new plantings resulted in runoff from the impervious plastic sheeting commonly used with industrial strawberries.

This year we are seeing a repeat. Here's a photo of the Ventura River taken from the Main St Bridge on Friday Oct 17.


Here's a report from Santa Barbara ChannelKeeper:

Surfers and concerned citizens have been expressing alarm about unusually muddy water flowing down the lower Ventura River into the ocean, and Stream Team volunteers have been working to identify the source. Over the last two months, we've recorded unusually high turbidity (water clarity) at our sampling site under the Main Street bridge, including the highest dry weather turbidity measurement we've had in eight years of sampling. Upstream measurements at our sampling site near Stanley drain have been normal, indicating that the source of turbidity is somewhere in between these two sites. The biggest recent change to adjacent land use has been the expansion of agricultural operations along the western bank of the lower river.

Recently, a small crew of dedicated Stream Team volunteers helped us investigate the lower river, and found that the river bed is choked with fine sediment. A small drainage ditch has been cut into the western stream bank by irrigation runoff from adjacent agricultural operations. This ditch carries so much sediment into the river, estuary, and ocean that it has significantly increased turbidity. Of additional concern is the potential for agricultural pesticides and fertilizers to contaminate downstream waters.

Agricultural operations are regulated by the State's Porter Cologne Water Quality Control Act under the Conditional Waiver of Waste Discharge Requirements for Discharges from Irrigated Lands. They are required to have in place a water quality monitoring program, a Water Quality Management Plan, and Best Management Practices (BMPs) that ensure they are not significantly impacting downstream water quality. Channelkeeper has written a letter to the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board requesting they inspect adjacent agricultural operations to ensure that these measures are being implemented, and our volunteers have approached the City of Ventura with these same concerns. City staff have already contacted the facility to discuss irrigation runoff issues and future BMP improvements. Channelkeeper and Stream Team will continue to monitor conditions along the lower river.