The Coalition will be hosting an Ojai Valley-wide meeting about new water quality standards and local options to protect water quality on December 13, 2011. The meeting will be led by the Regional Water Quality Control Board, with local input from the Resource Conservation District and the Waste to Energy bio-digester project.
The public is invited to attend Tuesday, December 13 at the Chaparral High School Auditorium, 414 East Ojai Avenue from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. free of charge. For more information about the December 13 meeting please contact Jenny Newman of the Regional Board at 213-576-6600, Marty Melvin of the RCD at 805-386-4489, or Bill O’Brien/Phil Sherman from W2E at 805-658-6611.
The new standards are being developed because of increased levels of plant nutrients (mainly nitrates) in the groundwater and in the creeks of the Ventura River watershed. High concentrations of nitrates cause more frequent algae blooms in some reaches of the Ventura River, which diminish aquatic life and recreational esthetics of the river. High nitrate concentrations have been found in surface flows of San Antonio Creek, and in some wells that require treatment or blending to meet drinking water standards.
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The Regional Water Quality Control Board is developing a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program to limit the load (quantities) of each nutrient source that can be identified in the watershed. The TMDL may require new actions to protect water quality that can include changes in the uses of fertilizers, management of horse and animal wastes, treating runoff from city streets and reducing effects of septic tank effluent. The Regional Board staff is currently determining what targets and allocations for nutrients are appropriate and plan to have a CEQA scoping meeting by February 2012.
This valley-wide meeting to inform the public will feature Jenny Newman of the Regional Board making the main presentation about why nutrients are a concern and the TMDL process. The local Waste to Energy (W2E) committee will give an update about a recently funded feasibility study for a bio-digester project that can take organic nutrient wastes and convert them to energy, and the Resource Conservation District (RCD) will discuss their upcoming workshops about low-cost and effective practices to protect water quality at ranches and farms.
