The County of Santa Barbara Environmental Health Agency monitored 20 locations on a weekly basis throughout the year, from as far upcoast as Guadalupe Dunes south of the Santa Maria River outside the City of Guadalupe to a downcoast location of Rincon at Bates Beach. Most samples are collected 25 yards north or south of the mouth of a storm drain or creek. For additional water quality information visit Santa Barbara County Environmental Health Agency website.

Leadbetter Beach at Honda Creek. Photo: Heal the Bay

Both summer and year-round dry weather water quality at most beaches in Santa Barbara County was very good. Of the 20 water quality monitoring locations, 18 received good-to-excellent water quality marks during the year-round dry weather time period (Figures 21 and 22). While both Goleta Beach and East Beach at Mission Creek had B grades during summer dry weather, neither maintained this dry weather water quality year-round; for which they received grades of C and F respectively.

The drastic amount of rain received by California this past winter (Table 2, below), particularly Southern California, wrecked havoc not only on the land but also on coastal water quality. No single Santa Barbara monitoring location received a grade of B or higher in wet weather. In fact, 80% of the monitored locations during wet weather received Fs. The only monitoring location in Santa Barbara not to receive a D or F was Rincon Beach at the creek mouth (C).

Arroyo Burro Beach at Arroyo Burro Creek. Photo: Heal the Bay

Heal the Bay presents a brief trends assessment of Santa Barbara County beaches by comparing this year's percentage results to the five-year average. Figure 23 demonstrates how great dry weather water quality was this year compared to the past. Approximately 90% of the locations received either an A or B this year, whereas the five-year average was only 76%. It appears that dry weather water quality in Santa Barbara County continues to show general improvement. The wet weather trends show quite the opposite (Figure 24), with 0% of the monitored locations receiving an A or B compared to the five-year average of 29%. However, the above normal rainfall totals this year slightly skew the comparison.

Sewage Spill Summary
There was a single sewage spill event that led to a beach closure this past year in Santa Barbara County (April 2004 through March 2005). The sewage spill took place on March 23, 2005 at a storm drain located between East Beach at Mission Creek and East Beach at Sycamore Creek, and discharge approximately 5,000 gallons to the local beach.

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