Volunteer Monitoring Helps Identify Problems and Improve Clean-up

The Beachkeeper program is a volunteer water quality monitoring program that involves the local community in identifying and monitoring sources of urban runoff in Santa Monica Bay. By becoming Beachkeeper volunteers, members of the local community demonstrate their interest in and concern for the environment by taking an active role in protecting coastal resources.

From its inception in 1996, the Beachkeeper program has provided water quality data and source identification information for pollution flowing into the Santa Monica Bay. This information is disseminated to the community, municipalities and government agencies such as the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Water Board), which uses the data to develop plans and programs (such as TMDLs) to reduce — and ultimately stop — pollution from reaching local waters.

Public involvement is required in the 303(d)/TMDL process. State and local agencies interpret public involvement in various ways, but from an environmental non-profit organization's perspective, this requirement is a blessing.

Recently, information collected through the Beachkeeper program has contributed to both 305(b) reporting and the 303(d) listing process in the region. This information has also played a significant role to the development of a bacteria TMDL for Santa Monica Bay beaches, which are visited by 50 million tourists each year. The Beachkeeper Program's drain identification and location catalog was included as an appendix to the TMDL and helped identify all potential discharges to the Bay. Before this documentation, few believed there were over 350 drains that potentially lead to the Bay.

Furthermore, the water quality data collected from these drains has been used in the preliminary stages of the TMDL implementation process. Specifically for the bacteria TMDL, some drains of serious concern were overlooked by the Regional Water Board until the Beachkeeper Program provided four years worth of drain flow and bacteria data that validated the need for their inclusion. As a result, additional weekly monitoring and observation sites were added into the TMDL monitoring plan.

Without question, some of the major accomplishments in the Beachkeeper program stem from a heightened interest in water quality from community members. This interest, combined with the hard work and dedication shown by these volunteer stewards has brought volunteer monitoring to an entirely new level in Los Angeles. Working together, state and local water quality agencies, local environmental groups like the Santa Monica Baykeeper and the community are proving that we can solve our water quality problems.