Project Clean Water News

Stakeholders Meetings
Our next Project Clean Water Stakeholder meetings will be held in Santa Barbara on Thursday, July 17th and in Santa Maria on Thursday, July 24th from 4:00-5:30. Click here to view the agenda with meeting locations. All are welcome.

California Coastal Clean Up Day
The 24th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day is Saturday, September 20 from 9am to noon. Coastal Cleanup Day takes place throughout the State of California and in conjunction with International Coastal Cleanup Day. The goals of this event are to raise awareness about the issues of ocean and coastal conservation, to pick up litter, to encourage recycling, and to promote community pride. Coastal Cleanup Day allows people to take responsibility for their local waterways and creates an awareness that individual actions do make a difference. The County Public Works Department, Resource Recovery and Waste Management Division, coordinates this event for Santa Barbara County. If you are interested in volunteering or for more information, please email jsimeon@cosbpw.net or call 882-3600.

Construction Program Evaluation
Click here for a recent evaluation of the County’s Construction program, and how the program protects water quality from construction activities through permits, inspections, and enforcement.

Summer Internship
Art From Scrap is looking for interns to staff their Green Kids Environmental Education Summer Day Camp for children 5–12 years old to experience the environment in fun, creative, and interactive ways. This year's camp will be held at the Watershed Resource Center at Arroyo Burro Beach and at Art From Scrap with walking fieldtrips to surrounding sites. For more information on the internship and how to apply click here.

South Coast Watershed Task Force
As directed by the Board of Supervisors in 2007, Project Clean Water will be taking the lead in compiling an inventory of current and past watershed planning efforts along the South Coast. The goal of this task force is to develop a regional approach to watershed planning in the South Coast by bringing together South Coast agencies to assess what is taking place within the watersheds. Read the Action Summary on Page 15 of the Board minutes.  To view the initial inventory as presented to the Task Force on June 2, 2008 click here.

Storm Water Ordinance
The County Storm Water Ordinance was approved by The Board of Supervisors in 2007.

Rincon Creek Watershed Plan
The Rincon Creek watershed encompasses 9,352 acres of residential, agricultural, and forested land on the border of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. The goal of this watershed plan, finalized in 2007, is to provide a tool that can be used by stakeholders to identify, prioritize, and obtain funding to implement projects that will enhance the health of this watershed.

Green Gardener Certification Program
The Green Gardener Certification Program for Santa Barbara County educates local gardeners in resource efficient and pollutution prevention landscape maintenance practices. The Green Gardener Certification Program is a regional program designed to offer education, training, and promotion of participating gardeners and landscape maintenance contractors. Se habla espanol: 805-564-5460.

Marine Debris Threatens Health and Economy
In February 2007, the Governor's Ocean Protection Council adopted a resolution calling for action on marine debris, citing the threat that plastic and other debris poses to public health and the economy. Now legislation is required to ensure that the resolution is implemented. A group of bills has been introduced that will ban the use of toxic chemicals in plastic packaging, increase plastic recycling and regulate the handling of pre-production plastic pellets that frequently get washed into waterways. To read the adopted OPC resolution, click here. To read about marine debris and the bills, click here. Download a fact sheet on marine debris and the bills.