In this E-Letter:
TODAY'S THE DAY! Last Call for #GivingTuesdayNow for HTO! And, Happy Cinco de Mayo, too!
COVID-19 in the Ocean? Join City of Santa Barbara's Creek Division for a Webinar on this Issue
"Flushable" Wipes are NOT Always Flushable - take action to help stop clogs!
TODAY'S THE DAY -
LAST CALL FOR #GIVINGTUESDAYNOW TO HTO!
BRING US YOUR STYROFOAM - TODAY & TOMORROW (Tuesday 7/30 & Wednesday 7/31 until noon)!
Heal the Ocean wishes you a happy Cinco de Mayo - and we want to remind you that there are a few hours left on #GivingTuesdayNow, a day to give back and support the non-profits in your local community. Heal the Ocean remains committed to working to protect our big blue backyard from environmental harm. We appreciate your support as your generosity helps us to continue with our current projects.
If you would like to donate to Heal the Ocean to celebrate either Cinco de Mayo or #GivingTuesdayNow, please click the button below. Thank you for thinking of HTO, we are grateful to work with a great community of people like you!
COVID-19 IN CREEK AND OCEAN WATER?
TUNE IN TO THE CITY OF SANTA BARBARA CREEKS DIVISION'S WEBINAR TO LEARN ABOUT IT
Image from City of Santa Barbara Creeks Division
Two short films about captive whales are special selections at the 2020 Santa Barbara International Film Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 6, 2020, from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM the City of Santa Barbara is hosting its third Watershed Wednesday Webinar on Beach & Creek Water Quality: What is Known about COVID-19? The webinar will include a presentation by Creeks Division Water Quality Research Analyst Jill Murray, Ph.D. Dr. Murray will discuss the current scientific understanding of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus) and COVID-19 (the disease) in regards to creek and ocean waters. Following the presentation, there will be an opportunity for Q&A.
To register for the webinar, click here.
We hope this upcoming webinar, as well as information from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is helpful to you at this time.
THE PROBLEM WITH "FLUSHABLE" WIPES - THEY CAUSE SEWAGE SPILLS!
Image from the City of Santa Barbara Water Resources
As a result of COVID-19, there has been an increase in the use of cleaning wipes to disinfect homes, cars, and hands. These cleaning wipes are NOT FLUSHABLE - they cause clogs in sewer systems and damage wastewater infrastructure. When this equipment fails as a result of a clog, raw sewage and partially treated sewage can spill and potentially pollute our coastal zone.
California Assemblymember Richard Bloom (District 50) has introduced AB 1672-Non-flushable Wipes: "...which will require the manufacturers of nonwoven wipes products to conspicuously label both flushable (wipes intended to be disposed of in the toilet) and non-flushable wipes products (diaper wipes and cleaning wipes) in order to provide clear consumer information about the proper disposal methods for different types of disposable wet wipes."
Please consider contacting your elected officials through Surfrider Foundation's Action Campaign: "Wipes Clogs Pipes! Let's Stop Sewage Spills". By clearly labeling wipes, we can reduce sewage spills and keep our coastal zone safe and clean.
Click here to take action.
P.S. To see what the City of Santa Barbara lists as what can or can't be flushed, click here.