Water Resources

If it all plays out, the ongoing maintenance required by the green approach could be good for the local economy, according to Parrott: “With the green and sustainable infrastructure, you’re creating a new class of what we call green jobs for maintenance. The majority of those jobs are something local folks can do as opposed to the conventional process.” Additionally, the green jobs also tend to benefit “disadvantaged communities” more than conventional jobs, according to Parrott.

UCSB alumnus and SBCWA Program Specialist Randy Turner said the website provides creative methods of water conservation that citizens might not already be aware of. “The new WaterWiseSB website has become Santa Barbara County’s go-to resource for all things related to water education and conservation,” Turner said. “We all have some awareness of water as a crucial resource and take steps to not blatantly waste water. Our website highlights the many new ways to save water most people don’t yet know about.”

Humboldt Baykeeper welcomed a new executive director to its Eureka offices Monday. Jessica Hall, a Los Angeles native and registered landscape architect, worked as a watershed coordinator for the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, private consulting firms and the non-profit North East Trees, before accepting the position of executive director for the nonprofit, a press release said. Hall will continue the work of prior executive directors by engaging stakeholders on policies, activities and programs that promote the health of Humboldt Bay, the release said.

Goshen Dam Pond is becoming an outdoor laboratory for a group of 60 students who are sampling water to learn about the pond's health. Assistant professor Ryan Sensenig's ecology class at Goshen College has started a five-week project with the help of local environmentalists and a new mobile application developed by a Goshen company.

The Los Angeles Times also ran an excellent story on this subject: "An exquisite Mexico beach, cursed by plastic" (January 27. 2012)

What contaminants lurk in the urban subsurface, and what happens to them once they're there? Do they make their way into storm drains and creeks to reach groundwater, or even oceans? Or do they naturally attenuate as they migrate through soils, somehow allowing them to self-cleanse as they travel? A UC Santa Barbara researcher hopes to find out, thanks to a generous new gift to fund her work. Read the full story

Few weeks ago, Jessica Hall, a Los Angeles landscape architect who also co-authors the excellent L.A. Creek Freak blog, showed me around some of the little-known wetlands of the old Dominguez Slough, hidden in the South Bay cities of Torrance, Gardena, and Carson.