Santa Clara River Estuary Monitoring

The VenturaWaterPure Program will reduce the amount of tertiary treated water discharged from the Ventura Water Reclamation Facility to the Santa Clara River Estuary (SCRE). This is expected to result in ecological benefits to the SCRE and its species.

Designated critical habitat and special-status species of the SCRE include: 

To track expected beneficial changes to the SCRE, the City of Ventura established an estuary monitoring program. The monitoring program is divided into two time periods:

  • Pre-Construction Assessment Program (PCAP) = baseline data collection period before discharge is reduced
  • Monitoring, Assessment, and Adaptive Management Plan (MAAMP) = continued monitoring period after the discharge is reduced

The PCAP/MAAMP estuary studies document was approved by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board’s Executive Officer on July 21, 2021. It can be downloaded via this link.

Ventura Water Reclamation Facility Map - medium
Estuary

The PCAP/MAAMP estuary monitoring program is required by the Ventura Water Reclamation Facility’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit and was included in the VenturaWaterPure program’s Environmental Impact Report.

The SCRE monitoring program includes elements focused on physical processes, hydrology, water quality, fish and wildlife, and habitat and vegetation. Ventura Water will be responsible for the monitoring program’s implementation, data management, and reporting.

Monitoring Table

Water Quality

For more information about the estuary monitoring program, contact:

Sarah Horwath, Environmental Biologist, Ventura Water

Phone: (805) 677-4126

Email


360-degree panoramic drone photo of the Santa Clara River following a natural breach event in December 2021 – click, drag, and zoom to explore!