Blue Water Task Force >> About BWTF About BWTF | Procedures | Most Recent Results Blue Water Task Force: About The Blue Water Task Force The Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) is the Surfrider Foundation San Diego County Chapter's primary research and water quality monitoring program. Surfrider has teamed up with San Diego Coastkeeper to implement a water monitoring effort to timely alert surfers, beachgoers, and officials in their communities about health-threatening water quality problems and to work toward solutions. The BWTF has demonstrated success by raising public awareness of coastal water pollution levels. The joint efforts have precipitated the establishment of a very successful local government water quality monitoring system, which issues timely advisories to surfers and beach goers alerting them to unsafe conditions at specific surf breaks. The BWTF was established to: Provide members with the opportunity for hands-on involvement with an environmental problem solving effort; Gather coastal water samples on a regular basis following strict scientific protocols to determine pollution patterns in the near shore environment; Raise public awareness regarding the extent and severity of coastal water pollution; Bring polluters into compliance by use of credible data collected; and Develop a model program for other areas to track water quality and timely alert surfers and beach goers to dangerous water conditions. Water Quality Monitoring: Our Watersheds: Currently, we are monitoring 11 watersheds in the San Diego Region. Information about all of these watersheds, including an archive of data gathered at each of these sites, can be found on the San Diego Coastkeeper Watershed Wiki, click here. In the future, the program may be expanded to monitor more watersheds, or to test additional pollutants. Our Watershed Captains: We are very proud of our incredibly dedicated watershed captains; some of them have been monitoring our watershed for years, and many spend month after month gathering data in order to protect our beaches and waterways. List of Watershed Captains to be listed here soon! Ways To Get Involved With the BWTF: Become a Water Quality Monitor: Every other month, volunteers are trained to become water quality monitors and within 2 months of their training, they are sent out in the field with a Watershed Captain to test the water quality of one of our local watersheds. Only a limited number of volunteers can be trained at each session, so we maintain an ongoing list of volunteers who want to be trained. Becoming a Water Quality Monitor is a serious commitment Help Spread the News: We are constantly looking for new ways to communicate the valuable information we gain to the public so that they can benefit from the information and stay safe. We also strive to communicate our data to politicians, agencies, and localities in the hopes that our data will lead to responsible policy decisions and ultimately, to clean waterways and beaches everywhere. Volunteers are needed to help analyze and publish the results of the water quality monitoring, and of their own experiences. Tell us your Stories: Dirty water in your area? Getting sick while surfing? Report illnesses that may be caused by the water on our ocean illness survey- the link can be found on the BWTF menu. Also, send your stories and experiences to Rachel Dorfman or Adrian Macias, so that the BWTF can use these testimonials for outreach and policy efforts, and share your experiences with the public on the San Diego BWTF blog. Join the BWTF Committee: Committee members meet (along with any other interested members of the public) several times during the year to discuss the status of the water quality monitoring program, how the program can be expanded, and how we can better educate and integrate the public into this important program. Committee members also keep the chapter informed of local water quality issues. If you would like to become trained to be a water quality monitor, would like to be involved with the BWTF, or if you have questions or comments about our program, please email Rachel or Adrian. 2010 Water Monitoring Schedule: March 13, 2010 April 17, 2010 May 15, 2010 June 12, 2010 July 17, 2010 August 21, 2010 September 11, 2010 October 16, 2010 November 20, 2010 December 18, 2010 Clean Water Street Team - Report Storm Water Violations in Your Neighborhood Clean Water Street Team is designed to empower everyone throughout San Diego County to help make a difference with protecting one of our most valuable natural resources, clean water. The main goal is to stop storm water violations. The most common violations are when businesses wash down their sidewalk and/or parking lot and from construction. Oil, grease, and many other pollutants are getting picked up by the discharge, entering storm drains, and are contributing to the urban runoff problem that can close our coastal waters for recreational use. Also, there is the harmful effect on the marine environment. Please note, per City, State, and Federal law, only storm water may be discharged off of commercial property, and in no circumstances may any person or business discharge wastewater into San Diego’s storm drains. Anyone can help out, no formal training is required. We do offer a few recommended guidelines and tips on getting the most effective pictures: - Be non-confrontational. Our goal is to document the problem, then have the proper authorities approach the violator. - Look at the whole area before taking pictures, video or samples. Be sure that the runoff is going to storm drains. Some business wash down properly by having a diverter vacuum that collects the wastewater before entering a storm drain. - Get up close, detailed pictures of the violation AND an overall picture that shows the storefront associated with the violation and/or the nearest cross streets when possible. - Report the information to the local agency (see below) including: the type of problem, a description of it, the exact location, how the incident was discovered, when the incident began, were any resources directly at risk, the suspected source (Please include Name, Address, Phone Number, or any other information you have), any evidence do you have – pictures, video, sample. Many agencies ask for your contact info as well. CLICK HERE for a list of contacts for local city storm water/environmental services departments where you can submit the alleged violations.