Responding to the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board's roll out of its "Human Right to Water" program, Heal the Ocean attended its hearing in Santa Barbara at the end of January and offered assistance to implementing the program.

Specifically we offered to pay for staff support in the following three areas. . .

January is off to an exciting start for Heal the Ocean, as we have just acquired the funding to begin an aerial survey of the Summerland Oil Field. This survey will be completed by Aqueos, a renowned subsea service contractor, under the careful oversight of the California State Lands Commission. . .

Along with being an exciting thing to witness, the heavy rains, storm surges, and abnormal high tides of winter serve as an important educational tool. They can give us a glance of what our region will look like as the sea level rises and climate change influenced extreme weather events become more common. . .

In 1999, during the earliest days of HTO, someone came into our office with a vial of putrid water collected from the wall of the 101 freeway south onramp at Garden Street. We had it tested – and the bacterial readings were off the charts. The odors in this area were well known to Santa Barbara residents, especially the employees at the Home Improvement Center, who told us they got nauseous breathing the fumes. . .

Over the weekend, President Obama signed the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Bill, designed to fund a number of water projects across the nation. While this bill will undoubtedly have an effect on California's water supplies, many are wondering what those effects will be, why this bill was so contentious for Californian lawmakers, and what shape it can take under a Trump presidency. . .

HTO was able to attend the monthly meeting of the Santa Barbara Water Commission this morning, and received some great updates on the drought facing Santa Barbara and the future plans for our local water supply. Here's a few topics that were covered during the meeting . . .

Last week, Heal the Ocean had the opportunity to attend the monthly meeting of the Santa Barbara Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) and give public comment.

We have been working to find a solution to the septic woes of Los Olivos for a number of years, and we have recently been advocating for the Santa Ynez Community Service District (CSD) to include Los Olivos in its sphere of influence so that it can provide the town with necessary sewer infrastructure and services. . .

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With the recent Presidential Election shifting the working environmental landscape, we want to keep you updated more than once a month with the news we’re getting, the meetings we’re participating in. There is already encouraging news about the planning already being done by environmental groups working under the new Administration. We hope you find the reports as positive as we have. . .