Supes give $15K for winter water testing

By COLBY FRAZIER — Nov. 11, 2009

As the economic recession put a vice on the county of Santa Barbara’s pocket book over the last two years, one of the many services to fall by the wayside was a water quality testing program that spanned the winter months and notified beach goers when ocean water was unsafe.

During the county’s absence from the program last winter, the nonprofit group Santa Barbara Channelkeeper picked up the slack, raising about $15,000 in donations to do its own testing.

Although the county may very well have less money this year than it did last year, the Board of Supervisors yesterday voted to give Channelkeeper the $15,000 it needs to resume the testing program.

Board Chair Joe Centeno, who represents the 5th district, protested initially, wondering why the county couldn’t take the $15,000 and do the testing in house.

The answer amounted to a $37,000 discrepancy.

Michele Mickiewicz, interim director of the county Public Health Department, said it would cost the county $52,000 to duplicate Channelkeeper’s testing weekly testing schedule.

The $15,000 that will go to Channelkeeper will be drawn from annual funds the county receives from a tobacco settlement lawsuit.

Kira Redmond, executive director of Channelkeeper, said tests conducted from November 2008 through March of this year revealed 27 instances in which unsafe levels of bacteria were detected.

“We think it’s a right to know issue,” she said. “And [the public] needs to know when bacteria levels are high and they need to stay out of the water, otherwise they’re risking their health.”

State law mandates that the county conduct regular water quality testing during summer months, but sewage spills and spikes in other pollutants in ocean water appear to rise significantly during winter rains.

“It’s particularly important in our minds to do the testing during the winter,” Redmond said. “We have much more storm runoff and sewage spills.”

Channelkeeper will take samples at 12 beaches from Rincon Point to Refugio State Beach. The city of Santa Barbara will take samples at Leadbetter, Arroyo Burro and at two locations along East Beach.

Centeno questioned whether county funds should be used for testing at state beaches like Refugio, and city beaches in Carpinteria.

Mickiewicz said the state never has provided funds for testing, and since testing during summer months fell on the county, this responsibility rolled over into the winter.

First District Supervisor Salud Carbajal requested the $15,000 be allocated through March of 2011, an addition that was approved, but could easily end up on the chopping table when the Board grapples with what is anticipated to be another difficult budget session this June.

“I just think this is a public health issue and for a nominal $15,000 a year for the five winter months we are now doing water quality,” Carbajal said. “I think we would be serving our public well by providing this public health benefit to our residents.”

The testing results are available at the Channelkeeper Web site, www.sbck.org. They are also published each Wednesday in the Daily Sound.

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Water testing : 11/22/2009

I wouldn't rely on the state, i went out and tested my families water, need to protect my little babies. i used www.watertestamerica.com my water is clean and ready to drink. had good experience with them and best price i found on internet

judi gold

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