Santa Barbara Bodies of Water “Impaired,” Report Says

In a report released last week by the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, dozens of Santa Barbara County bodies of water and watersheds were preliminarily identified as being “impaired” due to various pollutant levels. Though the Control Board won’t vote until this summer on which bodies of water make the official list, Santa Barbara County had 42 infected bodies of water-26 more than the last time such a study was conducted in 2006. Included on the list for raised levels of fecal coliform are Arroyo Burro and Mission Creeks, Rincon Point, Devereux Creek, Sycamore Creek, and the Santa Ynez River below Lompoc.