Some of the arundo was taller than the students. Photos by Bernie Goldstein

On Aug. 29 the City of Ventura partnered  with over 500 students from Cal Lutheran University for their “You Got Served” project. The school’s largest service-learning project (in terms of student participants). Cal Lutheran’s entire incoming freshmen class and transfer students worked alongside city staff and the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy to remove the invasive arundo donax — which kills native plants, shelters illegal activities(homeless) and is a fire hazard  in the Ventura River bottom.

Cal Lutheran’s Community Service Center has worked with the city’s Volunteer Ventura! office on the university’s annual “You Got Served” program since 2008. The partnership has allowed all the incoming students to work together on a single project that introduces them to Cal Lutheran’s commitment to service and justice and connects them with the local community in a meaningful way. Together, the city and university came up with the environmental clean-up program.

During the last eight years of the program, Cal Lutheran’s students and city staff have:

Assisted with the restoration efforts in the Ventura and Santa Clara Riverbeds, removing arundo and more than 57 tons of trash and debris

Carefully removed invasive ice plant in the Ventura Harbor Wetlands Ecological Reserve

Beautified three city parks, a historic site, and a community center

Cal Lutheran President Chris Kimball along with other faculty and staff members also assisted students in this service learning project intended to connect students to our local community and show what can be accomplished through public-private partnerships.

The City has installed 270 trash excluders.

by City Staff

One of the many reasons we enjoy living in Ventura is the natural beauty surrounding our community – ours is the only coastal city in the county also flanked by two rivers, the Santa Clara River and the Ventura River.  Ensuring that these fragile natural areas are protected from pollution is important because it impacts our environment and water quality.

One of the biggest threats to water quality is urban runoff that is caused by rain, excessive sprinkler spray and water from car washing that runs down the street. This runoff typically carries bacteria, metal, cigarette butts, motor oil residue, pesticides and pet waste that gets washed into storm drains and carried into our oceans, rivers, and local groundwater without any treatment.

Storm drains are designed to prevent area flooding by conveying rainwater to local rivers and the ocean.  In the city of Ventura, we have an aging storm drain system that, in some locations, is made of corrugated metal pipes installed in the 1930’s.  Modern storm drain lines are made of concrete or high-density plastic pipes which last longer and require less maintenance.  Storm drains that lack drainage capacity due to inadequate size or necessary infrastructure repair and maintenance leave us vulnerable during high intensity rain events causing flooding problems.  Ongoing maintenance and replacement of the existing infrastructure is required to keep a safe and viable system.

Storm drains are the only public utility for which the City has no identified funding for construction, maintenance and repair, and capital improvement projects. They are paid from the General Fund (the same fund that pays for police, fire, parks, programs for seniors and youth, and other critical services.)

To help improve our water quality, the City has installed 270 trash excluders (steel mesh cages) citywide in high trash generating catch basins to help capture debris that would otherwise flow to the ocean.  Additionally, during dry weather, three urban runoff diversion devices along the promenade divert flows to the wastewater plant for treatment to reduce bacteria levels in the ocean throughout the summer months.

The new Green Street project located on Hartman Drive in Midtown is a perfect example of another way the City can protect our water and reduce the amount of pollutants from entering Ventura’s rivers and streams. The Green Street also helps recharge our groundwater by absorbing the runoff through bio-retention cells where drought-resistant trees and shrubs are planted. This capture and filter process is especially important because one-third of Ventura’s drinking water supply comes from groundwater.  With more funding, the City could do more projects like this.

As a community that relies 100% on three local water resources – the Ventura River, Lake Casitas and local groundwater wells – improving the health of our waterways is vital.  While our storm drain infrastructure is aging and maintenance needs are growing, we will continue to provide the best service possible within limited resources to protect our waterways.

To learn about environmental and water saving programs offered by the City of Ventura, visit www.cityofventura.net/es and www.cityofventura.net/waterwise/incentiveprogram.

Mayor Nasarenko, Councilmember Cheryl Heitmann and future home owner Annie Dorrington learning about Green Street. Photos by John Ferritto

On Aug.27 community members and dignitaries gathered for a Green Street celebration and demonstration event on Hartman Dr. in Midtown. It was hosted by the City of Ventura’s Public Works Department and demonstrated the new storm water improvement project.

Using “curb cuts” and pervious concrete, the Green Street collects, stores and infiltrates stormwater runoff from the street, which helps protect our waterways and beaches from pollution and recharges our groundwater. Residents also learned about the new residential curb cut permit, which allows eligible homeowners to create their own bio-swale in their parkway – the area between the sidewalk and street.

As city staff demonstrated how the pervious concrete and bio-retention cells help collect, clean and infiltrate stormwater — instead of letting it flow to the ocean  Mayor Erik Nasarenko told the crowd “ The Ventura Midtown Green Street project will capture stormwater runoff draining from Hartmann Street and parts of the adjacent parking lots.”

“The project uses 8 bio-retention cells to capture and infiltrate water runoff from the street. The project also uses pervious concrete in the parking lanes to capture additional runoff which also flows to the bio-retention cells.”

“As you probably know, stormwater often contains pollutants that are washed from our urbanized area, such as motor oil, heavy metals, and harmful bacteria.

Before this project was built, all of the water runoff that drained from Hartmann Street and these parking lots would carry these pollutants directly to the ocean that we swim and surf in.”

“Now, much of that water will be captured by this new Green Street project.

The bio-retention cells contain a layer of soil that helps filter many of the pollutants out of the water. Below the soil is a layer of gravel that hold the water and allow it to infiltrate into the ground to recharge our groundwater.”

“A special thanks to Public Works engineering staff Loree Pryce, the project manager, Adam Bugielski, the project designer, and Chuck Thrall, the primary project inspector. Also, a special thanks to the Parks Division for selecting the drought tolerant trees for the project and for watering the trees with reclaimed water during the drought, saving thousands of gallons of potable water.”

Attendees received a free bag of compost.  Raffle prizes included compost bins, worm bins and rain barrels.

The Green Street project was undertaken by the City of Ventura as part of the settlement of an enforcement action by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board.

More information is available at www.cityofventura.net/GreenStreet.