Heal the Bay Blog

Feb. 05, 2016 — Staff watershed scientist Katherine Pease bugs out about our major legal victory in Malibu Creek.

In May 2013, I stood in front of a packed meeting room in Agoura Hills, filled with West Valley residents concerned about rumors of rate increases from their local water district. My job was to convince them to care about aquatic bugs as much as their water bills. Needless to say, I faced an uphill battle.

Well, two years later, I’m proud to say that the bugs won.

This week a federal court upheld pollution reduction requirements created by the EPA – and informed by data collected by Heal the Bay scientists – to protect creatures both large and small in impaired Malibu Creek.

Back in 2013, the federal EPA established a formal Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) – basically a numeric pollution reduction requirement – to address the fact that Malibu Creek, some of its major tributaries, and Malibu Lagoon had very poor or impaired biological communities.

Biological communities in streams are assessed through the different types and numbers of aquatic bugs (or benthic macroinvertebrates) that live there. Think of snails, worms, crayfish, and larval stages of dragonflies, damselflies, black flies, and mayflies. Which brings us back to why we or anyone should care about bugs.

Benthic macroinvertebrates are relatively stationary, ubiquitous, and they show a diversity of responses to stressors, making them an ideal indicator group of biological health. The biological condition of a stream tells a meaningful and comprehensive story of the condition of the stream’s water quality and habitat. A stream’s benthic macroinvertebrate community provides insights into its ecology, incorporating the effects of many factors that are difficult or impossible to replicate in a laboratory setting.

In essence, these bugs are an excellent indicator for the overall vibrancy of the stream.

For example, is the stream filled with only bugs that can tolerate polluted water? Or, is there a diversity of bugs that are sensitive to pollution in the creek? Healthy streams mean healthy watersheds, and healthy watersheds mean healthy cities.

The TMDL identified two main factors impairing the biological communities: high levels of nutrients and sediment. EPA came to that conclusion after completing a careful scientific analysis of water quality and biological data from the Malibu Creek Watershed.

One of the major sources of data came from Heal the Bay’s Stream Team. Since its inception in 1998, Heal the Bay citizen science volunteers and staff have been collecting water quality data monthly and conducting biological assessments yearly (since 2000) in the Malibu Creek Watershed.

These data helped to identify specific problems with the biological community and their sources. Sediment and nutrients both create poor habitat for aquatic bugs. Sediment blankets the stream bottoms, choking out prime habitat and diversity. Nutrients like phosphorous and nitrogen cause excess algal growth, which also can impair stream bottoms. (You can read more about these challenges and our proposed solutions in our detailed study here.)

The Tapia Water Reclamation Plant, which treats wastewater and discharges the treated water to Malibu Creek, has been a significant source of nutrients to Malibu Creek. While the effluent generally meets a high standard and contains low bacteria counts, the treated water still contains high levels of nutrients, specifically nitrogen and phosphorus.

The operators of the Tapia plant (the Las Virgenes-Triunfo Joint Powers Authority or JPA) objected to the new pollution limits and sued EPA to nullify the TMDL in the fall of 2013. As part of its challenge, the JPA questioned EPA and Heal the Bay’s science. They also argued that the costs of lowering nutrient levels in treated wastewater would be excessive. Because of the importance of the TMDL, Heal the Bay and our environmental partners NRDC and LA Waterkeeper intervened in the lawsuit, supporting the EPA.

We are very happy to report that this week that the TMDL has been upheld in court, thanks to good science and strong legal representation by NRDC.

We stand behind the science informing this important pollution limit, and we are proud that Stream Team data contributed to this process, which will ultimately improve the water quality and biological communities of our local streams and lagoons.

While the financial costs of protecting local streams need to be weighed carefully, we also need to weigh the environmental costs of not acting to preserve healthy watersheds – and what that means for water quality and wildlife that use the streams, including humans.

We should be creative in thinking about our water future, and how water quality and water supply are connected. In this time of drought, there are financially and environmentally strong investments in technology, like water recycling, which will reduce discharge to creeks, clean up water pollution, and help enhance our local water supplies.

Thankfully, the JPA is evaluating increasing water recycling as an option for the future health of Malibu Creek and local residents. This win is also a reminder that even though they may seem small and insignificant, aquatic bugs loom large. They tell us important information – like whether you can drink the water in your local stream, swim in it or eat the fish in it – if we just pay attention.

Photograph of the author courtesy of the Ventura County Star

In today’s guest blog post, Santa Monica College student Yasi Razban examines how local cities are preparing to take advantage of much-needed rain.

Feb. 3, 2016 — El Niño 2016 has arrived but much of the rain water that Southern Californians were hoping would ease the water crisis has gone to waste.

Heavy downpours earlier this year saw almost an inch and a half of rain falling at LAX – a new daily record. And this is just the beginning – warmer than usual ocean temperatures mean this El Niño is set to top the big one of 1997.

“An average 1-inch of rain from a storm can create about 1 billion gallons of runoff in L.A. County stormdrains. That’s about 120 Rose Bowls’ worth of dirty water that goes into the ocean,” says Dana Murray, Heal the Bay’s Senior Coastal Policy Manager.

Seems criminal for a state suffering through a five-year drought, that when much needed rain finally comes, it gurgles into stormdrains and heads straight out to sea. Especially as this El Niño is predicted to dump most of its precipitation in Southern California.

This exposes our biggest infrastructure problem.

Murray says 75 percent of California’s water storage infrastructure is located north of Fresno. Los Angeles County designed a stor water drainage system back in the 1930s built specifically to cope with our Mediterranean climate where rain falls almost exclusively during the winter. The end result is almost continuous paved-over surfaces from the mountains and foothills rimming L.A. County, through city streets to the beaches, creating what’s essentially a big concrete bowl tilted towards the ocean. What seemed like great planning then isn’t doing us any favors now.

The prolonged drought means every drop of available water counts so California is scrambling to realign its approach to water management on almost every level. Los Angelenos have gotten their daily water use down to 106 gallons per person. Orange County has a state of the art waste-water recycling plant. And there is serious consideration of costly desalination plants as a way to increase the water supply for our parched state.

The city of Santa Monica is aiming for water self sufficiency by 2020. An ambitious goal which is noteworthy because it relies heavily on catching 182.5 million gallons of rainwater per year before it runs into the ocean.

Here’s how they plan on doing it: Tanks will be installed to collect urban runoff and storm water that would otherwise flow off the Third Street Promenade area and city streets through storm drains into the ocean. One tank will be just north of the Santa Monica Pier in the Deauville Parking lot, a second will be installed adjacent to the City’s existing Civic Center, and a third will be at the City’s Memorial Park (14th Street and Olympic).

These tanks will connect to the Santa Monica Urban Runoff Recycling Facility (SMURRF) unit, where the water gets treated and then used for street cleaning, irrigation, and flushing toilets. Creating a local water supply while at the same time stopping all that bacteria laden untreated water from entering the ocean is good news for the health of Santa Monica Bay.

While the tanks won’t be in place for this El Niño, there are other water-saving projects going on in the county.

“We saved 400 million gallons of water from the beginning of El Niño with spreading grounds diverted throughout LA County,” states an LA Public Works official.

These water conservation facilities are located in areas where underlying soils are permeable enough for water to percolate into, then connect to an aquifer. However, this doesn’t get us out of the woods. Even though it’s hoped this El Niño will temporarily relieve drought effects, it’s too unpredictable of a force to be depended on to save us and its intensity may be dangerous if we don’t figure out the water situation.

“El Niño occurs about every 7 years alongside southern oscillation – the change of atmospheric pressure along the eastern and western Pacific,” says Murray. “A decrease in atmospheric pressure over the eastern Pacific leads to a decrease in the westward blowing trade winds towards the equator, which in turn allows warmer waters to travel east and north to the southwestern U.S. coastline.”

Warmer ocean temperatures exacerbate storms and this month’s record ocean temperatures – nearly 4 degrees warmer than average – are expected to give an additional boost to El Niño 2016, which will likely persist throughout spring. Warmer air temperatures intensify storms because warmer air holds more moisture.

This is where climate change comes into the picture – increased atmospheric carbon dioxide has driven overall global air temperature up by one degree already and ocean temperature is up too because a third of the excess heat has been absorbed by the ocean. Then there’s sea-level rise caused by climate change which leads to coastal erosion where we lose wetlands and swamps – the areas that can buffer the effects of a storm. All of the above can intensify an El Niño storm system resulting in “King” tides, storm surges, and flooding.

El Niño rain is going to affect some areas more harshly than others. Past El Niño have resulted in mudslides, erosion, and flooding. Homes in areas known to be at risk of mudslides will be the hardest hit, along with houses built on mountainsides or hills. Neighborhoods near L.A. stormdrains that have been clogged with trash and debris can also experience flooding. Intense and weird weather is predicted to be the new norm.

Places like California will experience more drought and intense El Niños, so we need to be prepared for all these possibilities. In the coming months, it will be important for the state and its residents to be more proactive with water on an individual and large-scale level. Whether it’s installing rain barrels at homes, or investing in local and state water-saving projects, it’s time to think of other ways to recycle water – and quick.

Local environmental champion and journalist Belinda Waymouth contributed to this report.

Jan. 1, 2016 — Here’s an early look at some of the key issues we will be tracking in the coming year. If we are to be successful, we need your support. 

Ballona Wetlands Restoration

The Issue: The Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve is nearly 600 acres of open space between LAX and Marina del Rey. A historically thriving wetland, it has suffered decades of degradation from development, dumping of sediments, disconnection from creek flows, and assault from invasive plants.

What’s at Stake: Approximately 95% of Southern California’s wetlands have been lost. Much of the remaining wetland habitat in our densely urbanized region is highly degraded. With the proposed Ballona Wetlands restoration project, we have the opportunity to restore natural function at one of L.A.’s largest wetlands.

Why we are focused on it: Wetlands provide nursery, shelter, and feeding grounds for fish and wildlife. They purify water through filtration of pollutants, recycle nutrients, and help buffer against impacts associated with climate change. Restoring ecological function at Ballona will not only benefit our local environment, but also serve as a place for public education and enjoyment.

Next steps: The Department of Fish and Wildlife will be releasing a draft environmental impact report this winter, analyzing several options for restoring Ballona Wetlands. Heal the Bay staff scientists will review the report and provide public guidance and recommendations.

Plastic Bag Referendum

The Issue: In 2014, California became the first state in the nation to enact plastic bag ban legislation through SB 270, which prohibits grocery stores, convenience stores, and pharmacies from distributing free single-use plastic bags, and requires stores to charge a minimum of 10 cents for paper and reusable bags. Looking to protect its profits, Big Plastic is pouring millions of dollars into an effort to undo the historic ban through a ballot initiative in November 2016.

What’s at stake: Plastic bags, designed only to be used for minutes, commonly make their way into streams, rivers, and oceans, where they never truly degrade. Plastic pollution can kill wildlife that mistake it for food or become entangled in it. Plastic bags are also a costly nuisance: California spends an estimated $25 million a year to collect and dispose of discarded plastic bags, according to CalRecycle.

Why we are focused on it: Plastic bags have become a gateway issue in the nation, compelling people to think about how their consumer habits can affect the environment. This common-sense ban not only saves money and the ocean, it has led to positive behavior change for millions of Californians. We can’t go back now.

Next steps: Californians will vote on the future of the plastic bag ban at the polls on November 8’s general election. You can help by pledging to vote YES on Prop 67!

Smarter Water Management

The Issue: The record drought, coupled with climate change and other stressors, has called into question the practicality of importing nearly 90% of L.A.’s water supply from other regions. Continued reliance on imported water is an uncertain and dangerous proposition. Instead, our region needs to be smarter about maximizing the water that we already have.

What’s at Stake:  Each day roughly 10 million gallons of urban runoff flows through L.A. County stormdrains, picking up pollutants and carrying them to the ocean without the benefit of any treatment. On a rainy day that number escalates to nearly 10 billion gallons of water, and associated urban slobber, flowing to the sea. Even on a dry day, wastewater treatment plants needlessly send hundreds of millions of gallons of highly treated and usable water into local rivers and the Pacific Ocean.

Why we are focused on it: Beneficially reusing this water through wastewater recycling and stormwater capture and reuse serves two benefits – building local water resiliency and cleaning up our local waterways. If we are smarter about reusing local water, we can also avoid turning to the ocean for a water source through desalination, which is costly, energy intensive, and threatens sea life.

Next steps: Our policy team is working to ensure stormwater management includes multi-benefit solutions that improve greenspace, beautify communities, and capture water onsite for reuse or recharging groundwater. We are also working with state and local governments to find creative ways to fund projects and programs to reuse and recycle stormwater and wastewater.

We have a lot of work to do in 2016, but contributions from ocean-lovers like you can make it happen.

December 9, 2015 — While the weather outside is frightful …Okay, maybe not here in Southern California. But, it is that time of year: holiday season. With the buzz of decorating, baking, travel, parties, and shopping, many people lose sight of how their actions and increased consumption during the holidays are affecting the environment. Here are 12 tips from Heal the Bay staff on how to have the greenest holiday ever:

1. Pledge to use a reusable bag.

Reusable bags aren’t just for groceries anymore: Keep a readily accessible supply of bags by the front door, in the car and at work for all your holiday shopping needs.

Also, we invite you to add your name to our pledge to go reusable this holiday–we’re hoping to get 1,000 people on board! By pledging, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a gift bag full of reusable Heal the Bay swag. Please share with your friends and family!

2. Get a living tree.

A living Christmas tree is the gift that keeps on giving, sequestering carbon and producing oxygen year after year unlike cut trees that are destined for the dump after one holiday. Check out The Living Christmas Company for more information.

3. Offset your emissions.

Getting to Grandmother’s house may require a plane rather than a sleigh. Consider reducing the impact of your holiday travel by offsetting your carbon emissions with Carbon Fund or TerraPass.

4. Bring your own.

Be the eco-envy of the holiday party by bringing your own straws, utensils and food containers for all those yummy leftovers! And remember your reusable water bottle when you’re pounding the pavement for presents. To-go Ware and Simply Straws offer some great products. 

5. Gift experiences, not things.

Concert tickets to the Bowl, a whale watching expedition on the Bay, a gift certificate to a local sustainable seafood restaurant–L.A. offers so many amazing experiences that are much more meaningful than the latest gadget or gizmo.

Speaking of experiences, your donation of $25 or more to Heal the Bay earns your giftee free family admission for 4 to our Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. If you want to support the animals at our aquarium directly, Aquadoption is an awesome option. Plush stuffed animal included at the $50 level! 

6. Avoid using your car to shop.

Be greener (and stave off holiday poundage) by walking or taking public transit to do your holiday shopping. You’ll also spare yourself the huge headache induced by traffic and crazed mall parking lots. 

7. Give a water-saving gift.

Consider giving an El Niño-friendly rain barrel or low-flow showerhead to encourage your family and friends to be more water-wise during the drought. Kick it up a notch by offering to install it yourself. (If you need help selecting or installing the right water-wise gift, give us a shout.) 

8. Be a green party host.

Go meatless at your holiday party to save on greenhouse gas emissions and agricultural water consumption. Avoid serving food on disposable products if possible, and rent dishes from a catering company or borrow from a neighbor if needed.

9. Use LED lights to decorate.

Swap out old holiday lights for newer, energy-saving LED lights. Their low energy usage makes them the cheapest option in the long run. And remember to use a timer for your outdoor and indoor lights to save electricity. 

10. Use reusable gift wrap.

Wrap your gifts in newspaper or magazines and recycle the wrappings afterwards. Or, even better, use fabric, a pretty basket, or a decorative box to make the wrapping itself part of the gift.

11. Start a green holiday tradition.

Create an outdoorsy holiday tradition: Plant a tree, ride bikes to the beach, or head to the park for a holiday clean-up. There’s even free coffee in exchange for your good deed, thanks to a new partnership between Heal the Bay and Starbucks!

12. Host a swap party.

After the hustle and bustle of the holidays, lighten your load with a regifting extravaganza. Invite friends over to swap their new or lightly used unwanted clothes, toys, home goods, and pet supplies.

BONUS TIP: Support a healthy ocean and make a tax-deductible, year-end gift to Heal the Bay today.