Making the Best of a Bad Situation: An EPA Penalty Facilitates Grassroots Efforts to Monitor Watershed

摘要

In settlements of environmental enforcement cases, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires the alleged violators to achieve and maintain compliance with Federal environmental laws and regulations, and to pay a civil penalty. To further EPA's goals to protect and enhance public health and the environment, in certain instances environmentally beneficial projects, or Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEP), may be part of a settlement. In October 2000, an EPA approved SEP allowed the City of Ventura to contract with Santa Barbara ChannelKeeper to develop and implement a twelve-month water quality monitoring program in the Ventura River Watershed. The project successfully demonstrates how an EPA violation, which was publicly perceived as damaging to the environment of the watershed, became an opportunity for the City of Ventura to assist an environmentally positive grassroots effort with strong public outreach and support.