New Online Tool Provides Public With Information on Stream and River Health
Media Contact: Sara Aminzadeh, California Coastkeeper Alliance, (415) 794-8422; Ben Pitterle, Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, (805) 636-6189
Press Release
06/18/2012
(Santa Barbara, CA) – Today, the California Water Quality Monitoring Council launched a new online tool to provide critical information to the public about whether or not their nearby streams and rivers are healthy.
California’s streams and rivers are the source of much of the water supply for California’s cities, farms, and industries. Creeks, streams and rivers also provide a free community space for swimming, fishing, wading, paddling and other recreational activities, and provide essential habitat for fish and wildlife. Unfortunately, the health of many California waterways has declined. Water diverted, dammed, and channeled for cities, agriculture, and other industries have left less for fish and wildlife. Runoff from industrial and agricultural facilities and cityscapes contaminate increasingly scarce flows to our creeks, river and streams.
“Since coming into contact with polluted water can make you sick, the public has a right to know the quality of water in their local streams,” said Ben Pitterle, Channelkeeper’s Watershed Programs Director.
A multitude of government agencies, watershed organizations and citizen monitoring groups regularly survey the state’s waterways to collect information about the health of California streams and rivers. But their findings and data can be difficult for the public to access and understand.
The new Healthy Streams Portal seeks to change that by providing interactive maps and information that illustrate the location and health of our streams and rivers. Santa Barbara Channelkeeper and California Coastkeeper Alliance are promoting the new portal along with the new Swim Guide smart phone app to improve public access to water quality information.
Rivers and streams in the Santa Barbara Channel’s watersheds are impaired by urban runoff, sewage spills, sedimentation and nutrient pollution from irrigated agriculture, among other sources. Santa Barbara Channelkeeper monitors the water quality of numerous creeks and beaches throughout the region and shares their data with government agencies and the public. Channelkeeper’s water quality monitoring work has become increasingly important as government budgets for water quality monitoring and enforcement continue to be cut.
Channelkeeper is one of 12 member organizations in the California Coastkeeper Alliance, the group that spearheaded the 2006 state legislation which established the Monitoring Council to improve access to water quality and public health information. “The Council’s newest tool empowers Californians to access information about the cleanliness and health of our creeks, streams and rivers,” says Sara Aminzadeh, Alliance Policy Director and Public Representative on the Council.
Access the Healthy Streams and River Portal at www.CaWaterQuality.net under the “Ecosystem Health” tab.
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper is dedicated to protecting and restoring the Santa Barbara Channel and its watersheds through science-based advocacy, education, field work and enforcement. http://www.sbck.org.
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper Stream Team: http://stream-team.org/.
California Coastkeeper Alliance uses law, policy and science to support the work of California’s 12 Waterkeeper organizations and works to ensure that Californians enjoy clean water and a healthy coast. www.cacoastkeeper.org.
Communications Consultant Lola Dvorak supports CCKA’s strategic communications by helping waterkeepers tell their stories.
