The Surfrider Foundation is an environmental coastal & river ecology organization founded by concerned surfers in San Clemente, Ca. . Please visit www.surfrider.org for more information.
Surfrider Ftn. Spring 2024 State of the Coast Report (pdf)
Water Quality Reports Dec. 12-14, 2024
Please click on ‘Report’ to review actual sampling results for each area tested.
| The Blue Water Task Force is Surfrider’s volunteer water quality monitoring program that provides critical water quality information to protect public health at the beach. We measure fecal indicator bacteria levels and compare them to public health standards for recreational waters. Surfrider chapters use this program to raise awareness of local pollution problems and to bring together communities to implement solutions. The Ventura County BWTF is focused on supplementing the winter testing sites not covered by Ventura County’s Ocean Water Quality Monitoring Program. We test from November to March each year. View all swim advisories issued by the County here. **To avoid areas with potentially high bacteria levels, beachgoers should avoid swimming, surfing, or recreating after significant rain events for 72 hours. Do not enter brown water areas, or where there is a warning sign for high bacteria levels. ** |
| Enterococcus (MPN/100 ml) (0 – 35) Low Bacteria (36 – 103 ) Medium Bacteria (> 104) High Bacteria Bacteria Levels December 12 and 13, 2024 Hollywood Beach: La Crescenta Street -Medium Report Marina Park: Front of Playground (Ocean) -Low Report Marina Park: Leo Robbins Sailing Center (Harbor) – Medium Report Mondos Cove -Medium Report Oxnard Beach: 5th St. & Outrigger Way – Low Report Pierpont: Weymouth Lane (Ocean) – Low Report Port Hueneme Beach Pier -Low Report Rincon Creek Medium – Report Rincon Point – Low Report Rincon Point Beach – Low Report San Buenaventura State Beach: Sanjon Rd. (Ocean) – Low Report Silver Strand at St. Nicholas – Low Report Surfers’ Point: C Street (Ocean) – Low Report Surfers’ Point: Dunes – Low Report Surfers’ Point: Ventura Rivermouth – Low Report Ventura Harbor: Harbor Cove – Low Report Mondos (Storm Drain)- Not Sampled Surfers’ Point: C Street (Storm Drain) – Not Sampled Pierpont: Weymouth Lane (Storm Drain) -Not Sampled These tests were conducted between December 12 and 13, 2024 |
| This program is made possible through generous funding in memory of Chuck Vinson. Funding for this year’s sampling efforts is made possible by Patagonia and Yardi Systems Inc. BWTF results are brought to you through community efforts of the Surfrider Foundation Ventura County Chapter Blue Water Task Force volunteers, as well as students and teachers at Foothill Technology High School. |
California Flips over Fracking
The citizens of California recently learned that fracking has been occurring in California waters (both state and federal). The revelation was shocking because government officials had previously asserted fracking was not occuring off California’s coast. Surfrider is working with the two organizations that made the discovery to help raise awareness amongst the general public and to pressure regulatory agencies to not turn a blind eye on fracking. Below is Surfrider’s recent position statement on the breaking news, and here is a press release.
Surfrider’s Position Statement on Offshore Fracking in California
A special investigation into hydraulic fracturing (fracking) revealed that the practice has been utilized off the coast of California (despite assurances from Government officials that fracking was not in use). After months of conducting Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, our friends at Environmental Defense Center discovered fracking has occurred at least a dozen times in the Santa Barbara Channel (outside of state waters).
The most alarming discovery is that a handful of federal regulators allowed fracking to occur without additional environmental review and fracking fluids were dumped directly into the ocean. Surfrider believes regulators are circumventing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by approving fracking without conducting a complete environmental analysis. Unfortunately, it could take years to figure out the total number of offshore fracks; as regulators said they have to comb through numerous files and many are not digitized.
On the heels of discovering fracking occurred in federal waters, research by the Center for Biological Diversity concluded fracking is also occurring in state waters. State records and content from an industry website FracFocus.org, show oil companies have been fracking in state waters for years. To date, we have been unable to locate any environmental review conducted under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) or by other state resource agencies.
We are concerned that if state and federal regulators continue to allow fracking without updating environmental impacts, there could be a “mad rush” by other oil companies to utilize fracking. What’s even more disconcerting is that internal government documents reveal offshore fracking does not greatly increase oil production.
Surfrider is appalled that fracking has occurred in state and federal waters without regulators being aware; and it is inexcusable that fracking fluids were discharged directly into the ocean without any scientific understanding of how these chemicals impact ocean ecosystems.
Surfrider is calling for a moratorium on offshore fracking until oil/gas companies and government officials conduct proper Environmental Impact Statements/Reports, provide independent scientific studies, and include a public process that is rooted in transparency (as required under both CEQA and NEPA).
We are confident citizens can successfully pressure regulators to protect our coastline and ocean from fracking. The California Coastal Commission (CCC) does “have a say” about how offshore projects can affect state water quality or marine mammals. In a recent letter to the CCC, and a press release, Surfrider called for a moratorium on offshore fracking and urged the CCC to launch an investigation into frack jobs offshore California. We will continue to follow the issue closely and work with the environmental community to demand government officials thoroughly review environmental impacts of fracking and drastically improve regulations.