July 3, Water Testing:
Several of our volunteers who were trained at the Southern California Marine Institute (SCMI) helped the institute take part in the 1999 Great American Secchi Dip-In this past Saturday. This national effort (plus Canada) is an attempt to take a snapshot of water clarity by submerging a pure white disk until it is barely visible and then comparing the color of the water above the disk to a controlled, sealed set of colored water in vials. Breakwater Task Force members performed this test at several sites along the Long Beach waterfront. This is only one of about a dozen tests that the volunteers have learned to perform when doing chemical analysis.
July 11, Breakwater Task Force Helps at the Greenbelt:
As part of our efforts to help and encourage our environmental allies, we brought several Task Force volunteers to the greenbelt to work with Greenbelt Committee and Long Beach Organic members to spread mulch (which is a necessary step before seeding the land with native vegetation). Task Force members served veggie burgers and beverages to all the volunteers. A satisfying amount of work was done and the comraderie was high. If you'd like more information about the greenbelt, visit the website: www.jimclark.org/greenbelt.
Volunteer Water Testing:
The testing plan was put in writing and July was the first month of full-blown weekly testing with trained groups of volunteers assigned to specific locations. We decided not to duplicate the testing done by the LB Health Department. They are testing for three indicators of sewage and their results are what Heal the Bay uses in their Beach Report Card. Both groups' work is essential, but we want a more complete assessment of the health of the marine environment. Ours is a long-term project in which we are building a database of information that can be analyzed by experts to determine the larger picture of the health of our beach water. For instance, we are testing parameters such as pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, amonia nitrate and phenol presence. If you'd like to get involved, it's not too late, please call Monica at (562) 439-6127.
LA Times Article:
Readers got a mixed message from this article which on one hand made noted that environmental activists are now a strong presence and the city government is more enlightened than in the past. But, the article goes on to list the litany of environmental woes that we still face, many of them watershed-related. Our breakwater efforts were given notice this way in the final paragraph..."In addition to cleaning up the rivers, local environmentalists are engaged in efforts that they hope will one day lead to the destruction of at least part of the rocky breakwater that runs parallel to the coast and protects the city's harbors." It's not the most succinct declaration of our intent, but at least we're on the radar.
Water Quality Reporting:
The local papers have reported failing healthgrades for several area beaches this month. The Colorado Lagoon was closed for two weeks by the LB Health Department but was not able to determine the source of the bacteria. One of our Task Force members, Emiko Kobayashi, has been in touch with Health Department officials and will fill us in on the details at Monday night's meeting.
Federal Study of Breakwater:
Rep. Steve Horn has pushed a $300,000 budget item through a House subcommittee which
would fund a study on the effect the breakwater has on the erosion of the beach. This
feasibility study is a follow-up to a 1997 Army Corps of Engineers' reconnaissance study
that determined the breakwater was a likely factor in the erosion. This study will not
address removal or configuration options. We have contacted Rep. Horn's office and are
pursuing more detailed information.