For
decades, Santa Barbara, California, has been nationally recognized as a city
that emphasizes environmental conservation and takes measures to protect its
local ecosystem. From its yearly festival celebrating
Earth Day to the sustainability education programs developed at UCSB, Santa
Barbara continues to look for ways to promote a healthier planet. To build a
greener future for itself, the city has committed to the protection of its
water sources through the following conservation practices.
1. Stormwater Management
Of
all pollutants that affect the health of Santa Barbara’s coastal waters, runoff
from city streets inflicts the most damage. After running over the surfaces of
roofs, streets, lawns, and vehicles, stormwater picks up contaminants like oil,
metals, pesticides, and pet waste before entering storm drains that channel it
into the Pacific Ocean via local tributaries.
In
order to reduce the pollution caused by urban runoff, the city of Santa Barbara
implemented stormwater programs to improve and manage the quality of water that
flows into the Santa Barbara Channel, the part of the Pacific Ocean just off
the coast of the city. In addition to establishing operational guidelines for
businesses through its Stormwater Management Program, Santa Barbara’s local
government has also installed catch basin debris screens onto storm drain
openings throughout the city. These metal screens are designed to filter trash
from runoff before it can pass into the drains.
Additional
urban runoff initiatives include the Hope and Haley Storm Drain Diversions,
which were constructed in those areas of Santa Barbara identified as high risk
for indicator bacteria. Instead of diverting to local streams, these two drains
are directed toward a water treatment facility, where runoff during the dry
season is treated before it is recirculated into local creeks.
2. Water Quality Monitoring
The
city’s commitment to clean water includes not only stormwater management
initiatives, but also monitoring programs to ensure its policies are having the
desired effect. Tracking and recording water quality data is important because
it allows a community to see the results of its various regulations and
programs, and determine which areas require improvement.
Santa
Barbara takes water protection seriously and sets itself apart through
organizations like the nonprofit Santa Barbara Channelkeeper (SBCK), a group
that focuses on the monitoring and identification of pollutants flowing into
the Santa Barbara Channel. Volunteers with SBCK are taught how to obtain water
samples from local streams and creeks and test elements such as temperature,
pH, and dissolved oxygen, as well as record visual data like algae coverage,
clarity, and trash buildup.
Local
government benefits from the work of groups like SBCK because it often uses
their findings to inform the creation of regulations and initiatives that
protect the environment. Santa Barbara County’s Environmental Health Services department
also performs weekly testing on local beaches and records the results into a
database in order to monitor water quality trends. Additionally, samples
collected by the city of Santa Barbara’s water quality monitoring teams are
sent to researchers at UCSB, where DNA-based tests are performed in order to
determine the sources of microbial contamination.
3. Pollution Prevention
The
most effective way to ensure good water quality is pollution prevention, and
Santa Barbara does its best to put measures into place to stop pollution before
it happens. This is done, in part, through the enforcement of state and county
laws that protect local water sources and wildlife. Relevant laws established
by the State of California make it unlawful for anyone to deposit waste within
150 feet of a body of water, or to dump sewage, trash, liquids, or other
organic matter into lakes, streams, or the ocean.
Locally,
Santa Barbara can impose fines and criminal charges on people who discard solid
or liquid waste onto city streets, where they may eventually reach a storm
drain that connects to a water source. The county also encourages residents to
report cases of water pollution or suspected contamination problems via a hotline
at 1-877-OUR-OCEAN.
In
addition to the development of clean water laws, Santa Barbara also requires
local construction projects to be designed and managed in a way that prevents water
pollution during and after construction. The city provides contractors with a
technical guide as well as control plan templates on the County of Santa
Barbara’s Project Clean Water website.
4. Community Involvement
Many
residents of Santa Barbara show their commitment to the environment by making
eco-friendly choices in their everyday lives, such as bicycling for
transportation and eating locally grown foods. The city also encourages water
quality awareness in the community through public education campaigns and other
initiatives.
Santa
Barbara’s youngest community members learn about the importance of water
conservation from an early age by attending field trips to the local Watershed
Resource Center and the El Estero Wastewater Treatment Plant. Additionally, a
yearly video contest for high school students is held in Santa Barbara County
that awards cash prizes for students who produce the most creative and
informative videos on water conservation in the area.
The
city is also among California’s most successful in exceeding water conservation
goals set by the state government in an effort to combat drought conditions. The
community’s receptiveness to planting drought-tolerant landscaping, installing low-flow
toilets and showerheads, and receiving free water checkups from utility
agencies has helped the city achieve a 22 percent decrease in water usage over
the past two years, making it a state-wide leader in reducing water
use.
