Coalition Forms to Protect Watershed

Aiming to reduce the impact of paved roads, horses, and failed septic tanks, an environmental coalition has formed to protect the Topanga watershed.

Sponsored by the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, the Topanga Watershed Committee includes representatives from dozens of groups and agencies, including the Topanga Canyon Town Council, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the National Park Service.

“Everything needs water,” said David Gottlieb, president of the Resource Conservation District. “So if you have a habitat problem, a problem with an endangered species--that needs water. Every resource problem is related to the flow of water.”

A watershed is an area in which all water drains into one point--in this case, Topanga Creek, which empties into the Santa Monica Bay at Topanga Beach.

In the past century, the Topanga watershed has been harmed by human developments such as paved roads and parking lots, the introduction of nonnative plants and animals, the loss of trees, and pollution from septic systems. Even horses can wreak damage if their waste seeps into the creek, Gottlieb said.

After years of planning, the committee met for the first time earlier this month. The group recently secured a $57,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to test the water quality of Topanga Creek, Gottlieb said.

The watershed committee will try to conserve native biodiversity, giving special attention to the steelhead trout, a federally endangered species, and the southwestern pond turtle, a California threatened species, said Sean Manion, a conservation biologist for the Resource Conservation District.

“We’ve been doing the same thing in the Malibu Creek watershed for about eight years, so a lot of us have done some of this before,” Manion said. “It’s really exciting to be involved in another watershed effort.”

The Topanga Watershed Committee will meet Monday from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Topanga Community House, located at 1440 N. Topanga Canyon Road. The public is welcome to attend.