If you live in the LA area, are concerned about your immediate environment and have a little bit of spare time, you can make a direct contribution to your community by volunteering with SoCal's Santa Monica Baykeeper! The group currently is seeking DrainWatch volunteers to work at their site during the Great LA River Cleanup. Tomorrow, Thursday, March 10th at 6:30pm, this acclaimed coastal conservation nonprofit, who have done so much work for the Santa Monica Bay and surrounding waterways already, is holding a DrainWatch "volunteer social" and inaugural information session at their Santa Monica headquarters (120 Broadway, Suite 105). 

At tomorrow's meeting staff and current volunteers will talk about what it takes to become a volunteer citizen monitor for their new DrainWatch program, which involves getting trained in water sampling techniques and monitoring procedures -- something that ultimately will improve water quality in the region's bays and streams for future generations. Yesterday I caught up with Santa Monica Baykeeper's Lara Meeker, who is the nonprofit's Water Quality Coordinator, to ask her more about the organization, its history & goals, and why LA area residents should become involved.

Amoeblog: How much has pollution control improved over recent decades and how did these improvements initially come about?

Lara Meeker: Since an amendment to the Clean Water Act in the late ‘80s, Los Angeles County and its 88 cities have been issued stormwater permits. These permits play a large role in promoting management of stormwater and urban runoff to ensure safe water quality. In the late ‘90s, Santa Monica Baykeeper used litigation to enforce parts of the Clean Water Act, requiring the establishment and enforcement of safe target levels of pollutants. So far safe target levels of certain pollutants have been established, but we are all still working to make sure they are met – that’s what DrainWatch is all about.

Amoeblog: How do the recent atypical global warming induced weather patterns, which have been bringing us such unusually heavy rainfall, affect storm drains?

Lara Meeker: I have no doubt that global warming has far reaching effects on weather patterns. Heavy rainfall can increase the volume of runoff drained to our rivers. (Yes, there are several rivers in Los Angeles!) Early seasonal storms wash accumulated pollutants off streets, parking lots, and fields. This stormwater is known as the “first flush” and is often high in pollutants such as oil and grease, metals, and fecal bacteria (which is why it’s important to pick up after your pet). This surge of pollutants gets delivered to local rivers, which we use as stormdrains in Los Angeles, and eventually to beaches. This results in days of beach closures due to unsafe water, and the city health department recommends not to go swimming or surfing within 72 hours of rain in urban areas.

Amoeblog: Why should residents of the LA area be concerned about the type of work your organization does?

Lara Meeker: Santa Monica Baykeeper works to protect all who use Los Angeles beaches and waterways by identifying and eliminating the sources of coastal pollution through advocacy and litigation. On a typical summer day, 24 million gallons of water flow through the storm drain system into Santa Monica Bay; in a heavy rainstorm this flow can increase to a billion gallons per day. Both dry weather flows and stormwater deliver nasty pollutants to our beaches and the ocean waters. Beach closures also have a negative economic impact on our coastal communities. This is why having our community-based DrainWatch program to identify and monitor pollution hot spots is so important. Santa Monica Baykeeper’s historic legal victories have reduced Los Angeles’ municipal sewage spills by more than 80%. Since 1993, Santa Monica Baykeeper has been L.A.’s only nongovernmental agency that systematically enforces the Clean Water Act’s Industrial Stormwater General Permit.

Amoeblog: What does the training you give include? How long does it take? And are any specific educational backgrounds preferable?

Lara Meeker: Drainwatch volunteers will first be provided with information on the sources of storm-water pollution, the resulting ecological and human health risks, and governing water-quality regulations. Volunteers will then be trained in scientific techniques for storm-water sampling, and in conducting visual assessments of creek and coastline health. Out in the field, volunteers will identify and sample storm drains flowing to Los Angeles County’s coastal waters. The samples are then analyzed for indicator bacteria in the Santa Monica Baykeeper lab and/or sent to a certified lab for analysis of other pollutants such as metals and nutrients.

Anyone over 18 years old can be a DrainWatch volunteer. There are various levels of participation. Team Leaders might find themselves leading both scheduled dry weather and more spontaneous wet weather sampling events. Volunteers are also needed back in the lab to help process samples. We have volunteers with all levels of interest and education from environmental science and public health students to local citizens with genuine concern for protecting their coastal environment. Community members of all backgrounds are welcome to participate in this program. All training is provided.

Amoeblog: Afterwards can someone trained in water sampling techniques and monitoring procedures use this knowledge in their lives in general or in future jobs or projects?

Lara Meeker: Water sampling techniques and water regulations learned from the DrainWatch volunteer program can be employed in any environmental watchdog organization, city planning agency, environmental engineering organization, public health department, or state agency concerned with water quality.

Amoeblog: From past experience, what do you see people gaining from volunteering with your organization?

Lara Meeker: We have some outstanding volunteers that have been with us for several years. Some have been involved in our water quality monitoring, others spend their free time diving with us to restore kelp beds in the bay. They all have a sense of pride and responsibility to their environment. Our volunteers understand that their every day actions directly affect the ecosystem.

Sign up here to volunteer with Santa Monica Baykeeper! Then, on Saturday, March 12th, there will be an LA River Tour. 8:30am-5pm (option to leave midday) -- click here for more info and to sign up. And on Saturday April 30th is La Gran Limpieza, The Great LA River Cleanup, sponsored by Friends of the Los Angeles River. The Santa Monica Baykeeper will be hosting a site at the Willow Street Estuary in Long Beach. The cleanup is from 9am to Noon. More info here. If you live in the LA area, do yourself and your environment a favor and get involved with at least one of these events!