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Water Quality Monitoring & Research
The Creeks Division conducts an extensive water quality research and monitoring program in order to gain information that the City can use to develop strategies for water quality improvement, including prioritization of capital projects and outreach/education programs, and to communicate effectively with the public about water quality.
The goals of the research and monitoring program are to:
- Quantify the levels (concentration, flux, or load) of microbial contamination and chemical pollution in watersheds throughout the City.
- Evaluate impacts of pollution on beneficial uses of creeks and beaches, including recreation and habitat for aquatic organisms.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the City’s restoration and water quality treatment projects, which includes collecting baseline data for future projects.
- Identify and eliminate sources of contaminants and pollution in creeks and storm drains.
- Evaluate long-term trends in water quality.
- Meet monitoring requirements for grants.
- Meet General Permit (NPDES) monitoring requirements.
In support of the program goals, the program is organized around six key elements and associated research questions:
- Grant Project Requirements
- General Permit Requirements
- Watershed Assessment (including Creek Walks and Bioassessment)
- Storm Monitoring
- Restoration and Water Quality Project Assessment
- Source Tracking
Construction of the Andrée Clark Bird Refuge Restoration Project was completed in early 2023. The project included replacement of the weir gate at Cabrillo Boulevard with an improved design, construction of an upstream treatment wetland at…
Located at the end of the Arroyo Burro County Beach Park parking area and within the Douglas Family Preserve, the Arroyo Burro Estuary and Mesa Creek Restoration Project was designed to restore coastal estuarine, riparian and coastal sage…
In February 2016, the Creeks Division collaborated with the Trust for Public Land to acquire the former Veronica Meadows development site. Acquisition of this 14.7-acre parcel along Arroyo Burro created a new open space park and…
The Creeks Division's Arroyo Burro Restoration Project at Hidden Valley Park was completed in late 2018. The 2.8-acre project site was previously in a degraded state, with hundreds of feet of pipe and wire revetment in the creek and on the…
In December 2019, the Creeks Division purchased two properties along Arroyo Burro at the end of Palermo Road, currently referred to as the…
Completed in 2022, the Bohnett Park Storm Water…
The City of Santa Barbara's Creeks Restoration and Water Quality Improvement Division (Creeks Division), in partnership with the University of Southern California (USC) Sea Grant Program, are conducting microplastic research thanks to a $1…
The Creeks Division completed a restoration of Arroyo Honda at Honda Valley Park in 2021. The project included removal of approximately 1,000 square feet of asphalt from the creek bed, removal of over 650 linear feet of chain link fence,…
The endangered Southern California steelhead trout is native to Santa Barbara’s coastal streams, including Mission Creek. Steelhead are born in freshwater streams/rivers, where they typically spend their first year, then migrate to the…
In 2022, the Creeks Division began initial design work on the Mission Creek Restoration at Oak Park. The project included transforming an 1,800 foot reach of Mission Creek that flows through the City's…
In 2003, the Creeks Division completed a restoration project along Old Mission Creek at Bohnett Park. The project included the construction of stairs and two creek crossings to improve access to the park. Creek banks were reconstructed to…
The Creeks Division has installed permeable pavers in City-owned parking lots, sidewalks, streets, alleys, and parks in several locations, in order to allow storm water and urban runoff to infiltrate into the ground.
In 2010 the Creeks Division received grant funding from the Water Environment Research Foundation for the Canine and Microbial Source Tracking Project. The Canine and Microbial Source Tracking Project built on efforts to identify and…
Constructed in 2006, the purpose of these two storm drain diversions was to improve summer water quality in creeks and beaches in the City of Santa Barbara. The projects diverted dry weather flow (urban runoff) at the Hope…
In 2011, the Creeks Division installed storm drain screens in nearly all of the storm drain openings in the City (approximately 1400 inlets). The retractable screens keep trash from entering the storm drains, which lead to the…
The Creeks Division's Sustainable Storm Water Rebate Program provides incentives to residents and businesses to help offset the cost of installing storm water capture devices. Rebates are offered for rain barrels, rain gardens,…
In late 2013, the Creeks Division purchased a 14.19-acre parcel on Foothill Road along Upper Arroyo Burro in Barger Canyon. The parcel was an environmentally sensitive and degraded site with approximately 1,800 linear feet of creek…
The Upper Las Positas Creek Restoration Project, completed in 2010, included the restoration of approximately eight acres of wetland habitat and an engineered storm water management system at the Santa Barbara Golf Club and Adams…