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A proposed development that would impact thousands of acres of land to house 60,000 people in and around six miles of the Santa Clara River—one of the last free-flowing natural rivers in California—has been put on hold.
Thanks to a lawsuit filed by the coalition of Wishtoyo, Ventura Coastkeeper, Center For Biological Diversity, Friends of the Santa Clara River, Santa Clarita Organization for Planning the Environment (SCOPE), and California Native Plant Society, the Newhall Ranch development was dealt a new setback when a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled in support of concerns raised by environmentalists regarding alleged flaws in the Department of Fish and Game’s environmental review of impacts to wildlife and cultural resources. This decision halts construction activities and sets aside the Department of Fish and Game’s Regulatory approvals and Environmental Impact Report for the Project.
The Santa Clara River is a valuable natural resource that flows from Los Angeles to Ventura County and is home to over 117 threatened or endangered species. Local environmental groups have been fighting the uphill battle to protect this river for many years. While many people living in the Region see this as a resource to protect in perpetuity, Newhall Land and Farming Company sees an economic opportunity at every bend of the River.
The public has many concerns with the Newhall Development Project as proposed. For one, it would be partially built in the 100-year floodplain. This would require filling the riverbed under 30 feet of dirt to raise the properties to a safer elevation which would change the shape of the river in ways that could increase erosion of the river banks, leading to loss of habitat downstream. They plan to permanently fill 47.9 acres of “waters of the U.S.” Approximately nine linear miles of tributary would be buried and converted into underground storm drain. Another 35.3 acres of waters of the U.S. (11.4 of which are wetlands) would be “temporarily” impacted. The hardening of numerous miles of the Santa Clara as proposed, along with the runoff generated by new impervious areas, will devastate macroinvertebrate populations within the River and its tributaries, while causing scour and other impacts downstream.
On September 14th, the Regional Board certified a water quality permit for the Newhall project. Prior to the Superior Court ruling, the Regional Board’s certification was expected to be one of the last regulatory hoops Newhall had to jump through before starting construction (or destruction, depending how you look at it). During extensive testimony, the environmental coalition pointed out flaws in the Army Corps evaluation of project alternatives that led to the best project option—the one that would not result in the project being built in the 100-year flood plain—being eliminated from consideration. Adding to these concerns, consultants hired by the Coastal Conservancy found flaws in the hydrologic analyses performed by the project proponents that resulted in the underestimation of impacts downstream of the river.
Heal the Bay joined the other environmental groups to highlight water quality impacts of the project as well as the problems with hydromodification, and we succeeded in strengthening the permit from the previous draft. The project originally did not capture a large enough amount of rain in the area to protect water quality in the river. Thanks to the work of the environmental coalition, Newhall now has to capture the 1.1 inch rain storm, retain a geomorphologist to measure and monitor impacts that the project is having downstream, and develop a plan to address the impacts of the project. These are important protections should construction of the project proceed.
Construction will, however, be delayed because Fish and Game must suspend activity that might impact the river resources until the agency corrects the deficiencies in the studies of the Newhall project impacts.
Read more about Newhall Ranch on LATimes.com.
— Susie Santilena, Environmental Engineer – Water Quality
…Tiana Tinsley! Tiana’s photograph received a whopping 127 likes on Facebook and is our #CCD2012 Instagram Photo Contest winner! Tiana’s photograph will be exhibited at Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium and published in our Coastal Cleanup Day 2012 wrap-up book. Tiana and a guest will get to spend an afternoon exploring the aquarium with an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour! Congratualtions Tiana!
Second place went to Jacki Carr, whose photograph will be exhibited at Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium and published in our Coastal Cleanup Day 2012 wrap-up book.
Courtney Middleton’s photograph came in third place and will be exhibited at Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest and who voted for the winners on Facebook.
You can help Heal the Bay simply by getting your next oil change through the Ford Community Changes program. Ford donates the cost of your next oil change toward our work protecting local waters from dangerous toxins.
Here’s how it works: Bring in your car (any make or model — it doesn’t have to be a Ford) to one of four dealerships — Galpin (San Fernando Valley), Santa Monica, Sunrise (Greater Los Angeles and Inland Empire), Bob Wondries (San Gabriel Valley) and name your price. Whatever amount you choose to pay will go directly to Heal the Bay’s efforts to keep our waters safe, healthy and clean. Register now.
What you get is more than just an oil change. Your vehicle will be thoroughly inspected for leaks that may cause harm to our oceans and waterways, and your car. Motor oil is extremely toxic: A quart can contaminate up to 250,000 gallons of drinking water as it contains lead, magnesium, copper, zinc, chromium, arsenic, chlorides, cadmium and chlorinated compounds. Find out more. Heal the Bay encourages motorists to recycle their used motor oil and to NEVER pour it down the drain, in the gutter, or on the ground. Together, we’re changing more than oil — we’re changing Los Angeles.
Beach Report CardLong Beach / AvalonMalibu / Pacific PalisadesMarina del Rey / Playa del ReyNewsPalos Verdes PeninsulaSanta MonicaSouth BayVenice Beach
This morning, after listening to the rain fall on my roof all night and waking up to soggy streets, I put on my raincoat and trekked out to see what the stormdrains were pumping out onto the beaches. What I found was quite shocking — this being my first time witnessing what Heal the Bay calls “First Flush,” or the first significant rainfall of the year.
I ventured out to the Pico/Kenter stormdrain and saw runoff flowing fast out onto the Santa Monica beach, carrying along with it strong smells reminiscent of motor oil and gasoline, hundreds of plastic cups, chip bags, soda cans, an unusually high number of tennis balls, plastic bags (some full of pet waste), bits of Styrofoam, bottle caps, and more urban detritus. It was a saddening and somber sight, to say the least.
No bucket or trash bag could clean up the mess that was before me. And the worse part about it was thinking of all the trash that I didn’t see, that ended up tossed around in the heavy surf and pulled out to sea, only to wash up on distant shores — if it wasn’t first mistaken for food by some unfortunate marine creature. And then there’s all that unseen bacteria and other pathogens spewing into the sea, ready to pounce on the surfers at Bay Street who are unable to stay out of the water when there’s decent swell.
These photos speak for themselves.
The First Flush often carries higher levels of trash/debris, pet waste, fertilizers, toxic chemicals, and automotive fluids through our neighborhoods and into our local creeks, rivers, and ocean environments. This runoff is a main source of pollution to our local waterways, because unlike sewage, this polluted water receives no treatment or screening and flows freely along our streets into the catch basins and out into the network of open channels, creeks, and rivers until it reaches the ocean. All this runoff flows through a 5,000 mile-long storm drain system that drains the Greater Los Angeles area.
So be prepared for possible localized flooding from plugged catch basins due to the large amounts of trash clogging the openings. If this happens, then please call it in to the local agency so that they can unplug the drain. Consult this listing of county hotlines.
In addition, avoid surfing or swimming this weekend. Even if the surf is up, the sun is out, and the rainstorm has passed, health officials generally recommend to stay out of the ocean water for more than 72 hours and avoid stormdrain impacted and enclosed beaches for 5 to 10 days after a storm. The reason to stay out of the ocean? This runoff can cause a variety of human pathogens, which can cause illnesses like respiratory infection or stomach flu. Near flowing storm drain outlets, bacteria indicator counts are approximately 10 times higher at ankle depth – where small children typically play – than at chest depth.
How will you know when it’s safe to return to the water? Always check our Beach Report Card for the water quality of your favorite or local beach prior to visiting it.
And yes, there are simple things you can do to help. Heal the Bay reminds L.A. residents that they can take steps in their own homes and neighborhoods to take pressure off an already taxed storm drain system: Join a local group clean-up, keep trash out of gutters and storm drains, and dispose of animal waste and automotive fluids properly. Find out more tips on how you can get involved.
Seeing all that manmade waste on the beach this morning saddened me, but there is hope in a new initiative afoot that could reduce the impact of stormwater and have a real positive impact on local water quality – Los Angeles County’s Clean Water, Clean Beaches Measure. This program is an opportunity for Los Angeles County residents to reduce harmful trash and pollution in our waterways and protect local sources of drinking water from contamination. Read more about the measure.
-Ana Luisa Ahern, Campaigns Manager
Thousands of Angelenos braved the heat on Coastal Cleanup Day, ridding their neighborhoods and favorite waterways of harmful and unsightly trash while simultaneously capturing the moments on their Smartphones and cameras.
After many days of deliberation, we have come up with three finalists in the #CCD2012 Instagram contest. Now we need you to pick a winner. To vote on Facebook, click on this link, then click on your favorite photo, click “Like” and you’re done! The picture with the most “Likes” by Monday, October 15, 2012, wins. Thank you to everyone who submitted such beautiful photographs, the decision was a very difficult one!
Prizes:
- First Prize: The photograph will be exhibited at Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium and published in our Coastal Cleanup Day 2012 wrap-up book. You and a guest will also receive a private, behind-the-scenes tour of Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium!
- Second Prize (2): The photograph will be exhibited at Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium and published in our Coastal Cleanup Day 2012 wrap-up book.
- Third Prize (5): The photograph will be exhibited at Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium.
NBC LA reported today (10/3/2012) that a weekend sewage spill will likely keep Long Beach Alamitos Bay beaches shut down for at least two more days.
A private sump pump that serves a residential community near the Cerritos Channel failed on Sunday, spilling sewage that flowed in Alamitos Bay, city public health officials said.
Two locations at Alamitos Bay – the Second Street Bridge at Bayshore, and 56th Place – recently received “C” grades on Heal the Bay’s annual Beach Report Card for summer water quality.
Congratulations Julia Louis-Dreyfus on winning your third Emmy® award last night. The Heal the Bay family is fortunate to have you as a board member!
Julia earned her latest Emmy for her performance on HBO’s Veep. She won her other two awards for playing Elaine on Seinfeld and the title character on The New Adventures of Old Christine.
But here’s our favorite of Julia’s versatile performances: Her address to the Los Angeles City Council before it approved a ban on plastic bags earlier this year.
“What is hideously ugly, gigantically dangerous and outrageously expensive, and yet we still use it every single day in Los Angeles? No, it is not the 405. It is plastic bags,” Julia said in public comment.
Whether she’s lending her star power to our annual Bring Back the Beach gala, advocating for clean water issues in publicity interviews or lending her voice at city council meetings, Julia remains down-to-earth and charming no matter the task.
As the actress recently told an interviewer: “I have taken my so-called celebrity and occasionally spent it down on causes or things that I’m passionate about. I’m not running for office. I’m not a scientist. But I’m a concerned citizen.”
Watch Julia crack up Los Angeles City Council members during her testimony in support of the plastic bag ban.
Emmy winners aren’t the only people who can support Heal the Bay’s work. You can too! Join us today.
According to a Patch news report, a small gasoline spill was noticed by sheriff’s deputies on Monday morning in the main channel in Marina del Rey. There is no reported source of the spill. The sheriff’s department has notified the U.S. Coast Guard and is awaiting more information.
Follow Heal the Bay’s Twitter feed to stay up-to-date.
It’s never too early to learn about the importance of the ocean, but why not have fun while doing it? Heal the Bay’s just-released 2012 Aqua Explorer Activity Guide aims to do just that for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders and comes as a free downloadable PDF in both English and Spanish.
It’s an engaging guide full of activities, games and coloring pages on ocean pollution impacts and solutions. The Activity Guide is made possible through the generous support of our friends at Ralphs.
See more Educator Resources.
Take part in our monthly, all-ages Nothin’ But Sand beach cleanups.
Our amazing partner, Summer Fridays, has generously committed to matching all Giving Tuesday donations made to Heal the Bay (on or before December 3, 2024) up to $10,000! Double your advocacy for the environment!