In October, the Alisal Fire burned 16,970 acres in Santa Barbara County, leaving a large area of exposed soil and contaminants from burned structures. Now, as rain events approach, the burn scar and areas cleared of vegetation for fire prevention are vulnerable to erosion.
Sediment, ash, heavy metals, and other contaminants from burned sites can run off into local creeks, impairing water quality, damaging habitats, and increasing risk of pollutant exposure for wildlife.
Over recent weeks, Santa Barbara Channelkeeper has been working with property owners and other organizations to establish temporary barriers around burned sites to prevent pollutants from reaching local creeks.
The Harris Family Farm on the Gaviota Coast was impacted by the Alisal Fire. The family is concerned that large areas of exposed soil, cleared of vegetation during the Alisal Fire, could flow into Las Zorrillas Creek. They have invited Channelkeeper volunteers to help install runoff containment measures to protect the creek.
On Dec. 18, Channelkeeper’s Watershed Brigade will gather for a workday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., at the Harris Family Farm to help prevent soil loss, flooding, and waterway contamination in the burn area near Refugio. Work will include digging and recontouring to install straw wattles to manage stormwater runoff, and to spread straw and vegetation to cover exposed dirt areas and mitigate erosion.
There will be moderate to strenuous physical activities involved throughout the morning, so volunteers should wear long-sleeved shirts, pants, closed-toe shoes, and a hat, and bring their own sunscreen and water. A limited number of gloves and tools will be available, but volunteers are urged to bring their own if possible.
RSVP for more details and location information at https://bit.ly/3oOJ1n2. For more, visit https://www.sbck.org/brigade/watershed-brigade-event/.
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper was founded in 1999 as a program of the Environmental Defense Center and became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2001. The organization has worked to protect water quality, restore aquatic ecosystems, advocate for clean water, enforce environmental laws, and educate and engage citizens in implementing solutions to water pollution and aquatic habitat degradation.
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper is a member of Waterkeeper Alliance, a coalition of more than 300 grassroots Waterkeeper groups on six continents collectively patrolling and protecting more than 2.7 million square miles of watersheds and defending their communities’ right to clean water.
To learn more, visit www.sbck.org.