Difference between revisions of "Monterey Coastkeeper"

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== Summary ==
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==Summary==
The [http://www.otterproject.org/site/pp.asp?c=8pIKIYMIG&b=4136551 Monterey Coastkeeper] is a part of the a larger network, [http://www.cacoastkeeper.org/ California Coastkeeper's Alliance](CCA). "The CCA represents twelve Waterkeeper organizations from the Oregon border to San Diego, of which the Monterey Coastkeeper is one. The Monterey Coastkeeper service area includes all of Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties as well as portions of San Mateo, Santa Clara and San Benito Counties. The Monterey Coastkeeper was formed with the intent of tackling issues of water quality through policy advocacy and legal tools to ensure that the interests of development, industry and urban activity are kept in line with the environmental needs and wishes of the community it serves. From the beginning, The Coastkeeper (Steve Shimek) has been active in promoting effective government regulations, good public policy and an active community role in protecting freshwater and marine waters alike" <ref> CCA. Monterey Coastkeeper http://www.otterproject.org/site/pp.asp?c=8pIKIYMIG&b=4136551 </ref>.  
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The [https://www.facebook.com/pages/Monterey-Coastkeeper/107982766474?sk=timeline&ref=page_internal Monterey Coastkeeper] (MCK) is a part of the [[California_Coastkeeper_Alliance|California Coastkeeper Alliance]] (CCKA), and serves Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties, as well as portions of Santa Clara, San Benito, and San Mateo Counties<ref> [https://www.facebook.com/pages/Monterey-Coastkeeper/107982766474?sk=timeline&ref=page_internal MCK, Facebook Page] </ref><ref> [[California_Coastkeeper_Alliance|California Coastkeeper Alliance]]</ref>. The MCK aims to protect water quality within this region of Central California, and works in the following arenas: agricultural pollution, urban stormwater, and watershed function<ref name="The Otter Project, Homepage"> [http://www.otterproject.org/ The Otter Project, Homepage] </ref>. MCK is managed by [http://www.otterproject.org/ The Otter Project], a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization working to assist recovery of the California sea otter<ref name="The Otter Project, Homepage" />.
  
==Water Quality Topics of Interest==
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==Water Quality Areas of Focus==
*'''Food Safety'''
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=====Agricultural Pollution=====
**      Many of the pathogen food safety practices are designed to sterilize fields and are not based on scientifically valid evidence. Poison bait stations line leafy green fields and are meant to kill rodents and anything eating the bait through bioaccumulation also including predators up the food chain. Poison stations have been seen within the field sprinkler line, the poisoned water running back into the crop. Monterey Coastkeeper is working to make sure that the interests of pathogen food safety are science based and balanced with environmental protection. There is still much debate as to whether any of the practices being implemented are effective in mitigating the risk of pathogen contamination on the food crops. The Monterey Coastkeeper is committed to documenting current changes as thoroughly as possible and influence the discussion among the various groups involved towards higher concern for chemical pollution, protection of our watersheds, and the natural areas wildlife associated with them.  
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One area of water quality advocacy that MCK is actively working within, is in agricultural related water quality and pollution<ref name="The Otter Project, Homepage" />. The MCK is concerned with water quality degradation associated with pesticide and nutrient runoff from farms, and its impact on the environment. Management of these pollutants in Central California is managed by the [[Central_Coast_Regional_Water_Quality_Control_Board_%28CCRWQCB%29|Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board]] (CCRWQCB) under the [http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/rwqcb3/water_issues/programs/ag_waivers/index.shtml Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program] (ILRP), known as the [[Central_Coast_Region_Agricultural_Waiver|'ag waiver']]<ref> [http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/rwqcb3/water_issues/programs/ag_waivers/index.shtml CCRWQCB, ILRP] </ref>. The Otter Project, and MCK, believe in the farmer's right to use water for agricultural purposes, yet also believes that does not include the right to discharge pollution<ref name="The Otter Project, Homepage" />.
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=====Urban Stormwater=====
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Another area of water quality protection and advocacy that MCK is involved with, is in urban stormwater management<ref name="The Otter Project, Homepage" />. MCK is committed to taking a proactive role in working towards effective [[Urban_stormwater_management|stormwater management on the Central Coast of California]]. Management of stormwater runoff is handled within the framework of the Clean Water Act, predominantly under section 402, the [[NPDES|National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System]]. MCK has made comment on Stormwater Management Plans for the [[Urban_stormwater_management_in_the_Monterey_Bay_region|Monterey area]], Salinas, San Luis Obispo, and [[Urban_stormwater_management_in_the_City_of_Santa_Cruz|Santa Cruz]], as well as hiring consultants to help improve some of these plans<ref name="The Otter Project, Homepage" />.
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=====Watershed Function=====
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The last area of interest for the MCK, is watershed function<ref name="The Otter Project, Homepage" />. The MCK believes that healthy watersheds play a vital role in providing habitat for wildlife, and by acting as a filter to improve water quality. [[Riparian_corridors_in_the_California_Central_Coast_Region|Riparian corridors]] are an example of an area that can provide these services. The MCK also works to support [[Low_Impact_Development_%28LID%29|Low Impact Development]] (LID), which consists of a wide range of land development practices that help reduce the impact of developed areas on hydrologic function<ref> [http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/green/ US EPA, Low Impact Development (LID)] </ref>. Ultimately, the MCK supports the management of water and pollution through restoration of natural watershed function<ref name="The Otter Project, Homepage" />.
  
*      '''Stormwater Management'''
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==Litigation==
**    The Monterey Coastkeeper is an active player in establishing the correlation between water quality and ocean health. For this reason, The Monterey Coastkeeper has taken a proactive role in advocating for affective stormwater management along the Central Coast. Working alongside groups such as The Ocean Conservancy and The Natural Resources Defense Council, The Coastkeeper's umbrella organization The Otter Project played a key role in bringing environmental interests to the table in the creation of the Monterey Regional Stormwater Plan. The resulting document has since been held up as a model for the rest of the state.
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On October 21st, 2010, the MCK filed a [http://www.otterproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/MCWRA-1-Writ-Petn-Complaint-Endorsed.pdf suit] against the [[Monterey_County_Water_Resources_Agency|Monterey County Water Resources Agency]] (MCWRA), alleging that the MCWRA is violating the [[Porter-Cologne_Water_Quality_Control_Act|Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act]]<ref name="The Otter Project, Homepage" />. The suit claimed that the MCWRA illegally discharged waters containing pesticides, nutrients, sediments, and pathogens into subsurface and surface waters in the [[Salinas_river|Salinas River]] watershed that were in excess of water quality standards. These discharges occur during the course of normal MCWRA operation, which includes the operation of a network of infrastructure to move water between reservoirs, users, and [[Aquifers of California's Central Coast Region|aquifers]]. The suit goes on to claim that these excesses can harm public health, fish and wildlife, and [[Beneficial_uses|beneficial uses]] (BUs). The suit claims that by allowing and contributing to water resource contamination, the MCWRA is breaching  its fiduciary obligations under the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_trust_doctrine Public Trust Doctrine]. The MCK [http://www.otterproject.org/water-resources-agency-lawsuit/ Water Resources Agency Lawsuit] webpage provides more information and links to various legal documents associated with the case<ref name="The Otter Project, Homepage" />.
**    Following the creation of The Monterey Coastkeeper, The Otter Project advocated for the improvement of the Salinas Stormwater Management Plan. Although Salinas is not a coastal city, it discharges pollutants into watersheds that flow directly into the Monterey Bay. Participating in public comment periods, writing letters, attending public meetings and working with other stakeholders in stakeholder committees, The Monterey Coastkeeper championed for the improvement of the Salinas Stormwater Management Plan, leading the RWQCB to raise the standard on required improvements of the plan.
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**    Currently, the [[California Regional Water Quality Control Board |Regional Water Quality Control Board]] is planning to undergo a process of rapidly assessing and approving over a hundred stormwater management plans in the next two years. The Monterey Coastkeeper, a project of The Otter Project, is gearing up to participate in the process to ensure that stormwater management throughout the state lives up to the high standard set by Monterey. The resulting management programs established by these policies will have significant ramifications for sea otters and everyone else who relies on clean, healthy water.  
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*      '''Agricultural Runoff'''
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On March 19th, 2015, the [http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/ Monterey County Weekly] reported that Judge Thomas Wills of the [http://www.monterey.courts.ca.gov/ Superior Court of California, County of Monterey] ruled in favor of the MCK in its lawsuit against MCWRA, implying that MCWRA is a pollutant discharger and is responsible for filing a waste discharge report<ref> [http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/blogs/news_blog/judge-slams-monterey-county-water-resources-agency-labels-them-as/article_4766746e-ce60-11e4-b6ac-33294ca8d662.html MC Weekly, MCK vs. MCWRA Lawsuit Article] </ref>. The Judge has still not released his final written decision.
**    Encouraging good farm practices and enforcing against egregious bad practices are the goals of the [[Central Coast Region Agricultural Waiver | Conditional Agricultural Waiver Program]], overseen by the [[Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board| Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board]]. Until recently farm discharges were exempt from water quality standards. Now, California farms must have a permit to discharge wastewater. The “conditional waiver” is a group program designed to allow farms to avoid thecost and paperwork of obtaining an individual permit if they meet a set of prescribed conditions.
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**    The Agricultural Waiver Program aims to educate farmers on good practices, thereby encouraging pollution prevention. The Monterey Coastkeeper has been working to support the Water Board both in the management of the current program, and in the development of a future waiver.
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**    Following good agricultural practices to prevent water pollution and erosion provide an easy solution that is neither onerous nor cost prohibitive! Good practices include minimizing chemical application and limiting irrigation to use only what is absolutely necessary. Both of these actions provide not only environmental benefits, but savings to growers.
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**    The Agricultural Waiver might seem unrelated to sea otters—but in fact the connection epitomizes the kind of multi-faceted management we must engage in if we truly wish to affect sea otter population stagnation. Conservation is increasingly moving towards ecosystem based management, and this includes identifying and controlling outside threats to the ecosystem—such as agricultural runoff. Preventing chemical poisons from weakening an iconic keystone species like sea otters is a pretty good place to start.
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==Litigation==
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==References==
On 21 October 2010, the Monterey Coastkeeper filed a suit against the Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA) alleging that the MCWRA is polluting the waters of the Central Coast and United States. The suit claimed that the MCWRA illegally discharged polluted waters that contained pesticides and nitrates in excess of protective standards. The suit also claimed that the MCWRA did not file a report of waste water discharge, as well as a failure in protecting public resources, and lastly created a public nuisance. The suit did not seek monetary damages but the suit did ask for the discharge of pollutants to stop. The Monterey Coastkeeper is represented by Stanford Law Clinic. “Agriculture needs to step up and clean up their mess; regulatory agencies need to regulate; and water agencies simply must protect precious resources for everyone,” said Shimek. Monterey Coastkeeper spent the past two years attempting to work with growers and grower associations on new water quality regulations. Earlier this year Monterey Coastkeeper, together with San Luis Obispo Coastkeeper and Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, appealed a decision by the Regional Water Quality Control Board to extend an old and ineffective set of water quality regulations. “I’m not going to let up until our water is drinkable, swimmable, and fishable, the basic rights promised by America’s Clean Water Act and California’s Clean Drinking Water Act,” said Shimek.
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<references/>
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==Links==
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*[[California_Coastkeeper_Alliance|California Coastkeeper Alliance (CCKA)]]
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*[[Central_Coast_Regional_Water_Quality_Control_Board_%28CCRWQCB%29|Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (CCRWQCB)]]
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*[[Central_Coast_Region_Agricultural_Waiver|'ag waiver']]
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*[[Urban_stormwater_management|stormwater management on the Central Coast of California]]
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*[[NPDES|National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)]]
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*[[Urban_stormwater_management_in_the_Monterey_Bay_region|Monterey area]]
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*[[Urban_stormwater_management_in_the_City_of_Santa_Cruz|Santa Cruz]]
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*[[Riparian_corridors_in_the_California_Central_Coast_Region|riparian corridors]]
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*[[Low_Impact_Development_%28LID%29|Low Impact Development (LID)]]
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*[[Monterey_County_Water_Resources_Agency|Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA)]]
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*[[Porter-Cologne_Water_Quality_Control_Act|Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act]]
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*[[Salinas_river|Salinas River]]
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*[[Aquifers of California's Central Coast Region]]
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*[[Beneficial_uses|beneficial uses (BUs)]]
  
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==Disclaimer==
  
*      Homepage [http://www.otterproject.org/site/pp.asp?c=8pIKIYMIG&b=4136551  Monterey Coastkeeper]
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This page may contain students's work completed as part of assigned coursework. It may not be accurate. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion or policy of [[CSUMB]], its staff, or students.

Latest revision as of 14:53, 26 March 2019

Summary

The Monterey Coastkeeper (MCK) is a part of the California Coastkeeper Alliance (CCKA), and serves Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties, as well as portions of Santa Clara, San Benito, and San Mateo Counties[1][2]. The MCK aims to protect water quality within this region of Central California, and works in the following arenas: agricultural pollution, urban stormwater, and watershed function[3]. MCK is managed by The Otter Project, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization working to assist recovery of the California sea otter[3].

Water Quality Areas of Focus

Agricultural Pollution

One area of water quality advocacy that MCK is actively working within, is in agricultural related water quality and pollution[3]. The MCK is concerned with water quality degradation associated with pesticide and nutrient runoff from farms, and its impact on the environment. Management of these pollutants in Central California is managed by the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (CCRWQCB) under the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program (ILRP), known as the 'ag waiver'[4]. The Otter Project, and MCK, believe in the farmer's right to use water for agricultural purposes, yet also believes that does not include the right to discharge pollution[3].

Urban Stormwater

Another area of water quality protection and advocacy that MCK is involved with, is in urban stormwater management[3]. MCK is committed to taking a proactive role in working towards effective stormwater management on the Central Coast of California. Management of stormwater runoff is handled within the framework of the Clean Water Act, predominantly under section 402, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. MCK has made comment on Stormwater Management Plans for the Monterey area, Salinas, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Cruz, as well as hiring consultants to help improve some of these plans[3].

Watershed Function

The last area of interest for the MCK, is watershed function[3]. The MCK believes that healthy watersheds play a vital role in providing habitat for wildlife, and by acting as a filter to improve water quality. Riparian corridors are an example of an area that can provide these services. The MCK also works to support Low Impact Development (LID), which consists of a wide range of land development practices that help reduce the impact of developed areas on hydrologic function[5]. Ultimately, the MCK supports the management of water and pollution through restoration of natural watershed function[3].

Litigation

On October 21st, 2010, the MCK filed a suit against the Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA), alleging that the MCWRA is violating the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act[3]. The suit claimed that the MCWRA illegally discharged waters containing pesticides, nutrients, sediments, and pathogens into subsurface and surface waters in the Salinas River watershed that were in excess of water quality standards. These discharges occur during the course of normal MCWRA operation, which includes the operation of a network of infrastructure to move water between reservoirs, users, and aquifers. The suit goes on to claim that these excesses can harm public health, fish and wildlife, and beneficial uses (BUs). The suit claims that by allowing and contributing to water resource contamination, the MCWRA is breaching its fiduciary obligations under the Public Trust Doctrine. The MCK Water Resources Agency Lawsuit webpage provides more information and links to various legal documents associated with the case[3].

On March 19th, 2015, the Monterey County Weekly reported that Judge Thomas Wills of the Superior Court of California, County of Monterey ruled in favor of the MCK in its lawsuit against MCWRA, implying that MCWRA is a pollutant discharger and is responsible for filing a waste discharge report[6]. The Judge has still not released his final written decision.

References

  1. MCK, Facebook Page
  2. California Coastkeeper Alliance
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 The Otter Project, Homepage
  4. CCRWQCB, ILRP
  5. US EPA, Low Impact Development (LID)
  6. MC Weekly, MCK vs. MCWRA Lawsuit Article

Links

Disclaimer

This page may contain students's work completed as part of assigned coursework. It may not be accurate. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion or policy of CSUMB, its staff, or students.