Coastkeeper Announces County's 2010 Water Quality Monitoring Data
Elevated pollutant levels found in Escondido and Tijuana watersheds
SAN DIEGO, CA—San Diego Coastkeeper’s Water Quality Monitoring data show high levels of nitrate concentration in Escondido Creek and increasing amounts of fecal indicator in the Tijuana River, according to data released today by the organization. During 2010, Coastkeeper’s 17 watershed captains led 142 newly trained volunteers to complete 2,206 hours of sampling and testing in the region’s creeks and streams. Monthly, the Water Quality Monitoring team collects water samples in nine out of eleven watersheds in San Diego and then screens them for basic chemistry, nutrients, bacteria and toxicity.
The data from 2010 show that Escondido creek has some of the highest nitrate concentration in the region, which can lead to clogging of the waterway and negative impacts to aquatic organisms. Nitrate can be an indicator of fertilizer run-off, sewage, animal manure and other types of contamination.
“The Regional Water Quality Control Board does not currently list Escondido Creek for nitrates. We submitted our data showing the elevated levels to the regulators to be considered under the next listing process,” said Travis Pritchard, San Diego Coastkeeper’s Water Quality Lab Coordinator. “This is how our Water Quality Monitoring program and its team of volunteers are making San Diego’s water healthier.”
According to the 2010 data, the nutrient concentrations found in the Tijuana River exceed standards due to raw, untreated sewage that gets flushed through the river system during rain events. When this water source enters into the ocean, it can cause southern county beach closures that extend north to Coronado. Complete 2010 data sets for Escondido Creek and Tijuana River, along with sampling sites in all nine watersheds, can be found at www.sdwatesheds.org.
In addition to the unusual levels found in Escondido and Tijuana River, the data Coastkeeper’s Water Quality Monitoring program collects help establish water quality trends in the county’s watersheds. Not all data show extreme levels of differentiation, but it’s still essential to improve government decision making regarding local water bodies.
“In data analyzed region wide, we see concentrations of pollutants increase during storm events,” said Pritchard. “This illustrates the significant negative effects of urban storm water runoff on the regional water quality.”
The results from monitoring events, along with watershed information and locations of monitoring sites, are posted online for the public to access. Data for sampling locations can be found online:
- Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, Coronado, National City, and San Diego: Otay Watershed
- San Diego, El Cajon, La Mesa, Poway and Santee: Los Penasquitos Watershed
- San Diego, El Cajon, La Mesa, Poway, and Santee: San Diego Watershed
- Del Mar, Escondido, Poway, San Diego, and Solana Beach: San Dieguito Watershed
- San Diego, La Mesa, Lemon Grove and National City: Pueblo Watershed
- Carlsbad, San Marcos, and Encinitas: Carlsbad Watershed
- Spring Valley, National City: Sweetwater Watershed
- Tijuana, Imperial Beach, San Diego: Tijuana Watershed
- San Diego, Orange, and Riverside: San Juan Watershed
All events are open to community members interested in monitoring water quality. New volunteer trainings take place every other month. For more information, visit Coastkeeper’s website at www.sdcoastkeeper.org, or email Dylan Edwards at dylan@sdcoastkeeper.org.
San Diego Coastkeeper also posts the current beach water quality status on its site, along with the historic beach water quality data in graphs. The watershed information and water quality data can be accessed through Coastkeeper’s site at www.sdcoastkeeper.org.
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