On February 16, more than one million gallons of untreated sewage spilled near Goleta Beach, but it wasn’t until Feb. 22 that Santa Barbara County Public Health closed the beach to swimmers and fishermen.
Veteran oyster harvester Bernard Friedman says the closure came far too late.
"It's highly disconcerting because I’m supposed to be notified within 24 hours of such an event," Friedman said.
Luckily, Friedman harvested a day before the spill, so his product was not impacted.
Good water quality is essential for shellfish harvesters and Friedman worries the health department’s messaging caused fear and distrust of local seafood.
"It’s a disservice to all the people that make a living in the ocean, that they project that there is something harmful going into the water that would impact our livelihoods. And yes, there is, but the impact is highly local," Friedman said.
The Goleta West Sanitary District says it alerted the California Office of Emergency Services of the spill on February 17, but Friedman thinks the treatment plant should be held accountable.
"If I were to do such harm in the environment, I would lose my license and I would lose my livelihood," Friedman said.
Chris Voss, President of the Association of Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara, says the spill is unfortunate and that it is everyone’s job to dispose of toxic material responsibly because accidents do happen.
"You'd never take a gallon of turpentine and pour it directly into the ocean, so do not pour it directly down your sink," Voss said.
KSBY News reporter Juliet Lemar reached out to Public Health and the Goleta West treatment plant for comment. The health department’s public information officer was not available, but the department sent a statement saying, “Sport harvesters should wait at least 10 days after a significant rain to harvest shellfish. High bacterial levels, pesticides, herbicide, and motor oil grease flushed into the ocean with the storm runoff may contaminate the shellfish beds."
The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department lifted the closure at Goleta Beach on March 15 after water quality testing confirmed the ocean water was safe for recreational use.
