Welcome to RMA

The Resource Management Agency strives to ensure that its customer service standards are consistent with the Agency’s Mission Statement:

The mission of the Resource Management Agency, in cooperation with the public and our partner agencies, is to protect the consumer and community’s health, safety, and environment by carrying out adopted laws and policies, and educating, assisting, and empowering Ventura County residents and businesses to be good stewards of the land and our resources.

Values

In addition, RMA has identified those core values which will guide us in carrying out our mission. These values are directly related to our customer service and include:

  • Honesty, hard work, and ethical behavior

  • Transparency and accountability

  • Equitable treatment and respect of all constituents

  • Excellence in service delivery

the point

vc safe beach

 

 

 

The purpose of this program is to assure the protection of human health and of the environment through the routine monitoring of coastal marine waters for bacteria contamination, to provide information as to the bacteriological quality of these waters, and to coordinate with private organizations and public agencies.

In September 1998, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors directed the Environmental Health Division to develop a program to monitor the bacteriological quality of ocean water at Ventura County beaches. The Ocean Water Quality Monitoring Program (OWQMP) was developed with the primary purpose of providing the public with accurate and timely information about the bacteriological quality of ocean water.

This information is conveyed via:

40 sites are sampled during the Dry-Weather season (April to October) and 19 sites are sampled during the Wet-Weather season (November to March). Maps of these beach locations can be found on our web page: Sample Results. Our sampling sites have been selected based on the numbers of public use and their proximity to a storm drain outfall (not outflow). Outfalls include pipes, culverts, rivers, creeks and streams. Ocean water samples are collected in ankle-to-knee deep water and tested for three bacteria indicators: total coliform; fecal coliform; and enterococcus. These bacteria indicators, at sufficient concentrations, can indicate the presence of other strains of bacteria, viruses and protozoa in the ocean water that may cause illness.

Water samples are analyzed for concentrations of each of these "indicators" and the results are compared to the State standards for bacteria. These results are entered on our web page: Interactive Map as they become available but no later than each Thursday by 5:00 p.m.

If any of the State standards are not met, the beach is posted with warning signs advising the public to avoid body contact with the ocean water. This information is also made available on our hotline (805-662- 6555), and in press releases distributed to the media. The advisory remains in effect and the warning sign will remain posted until the next sampling results indicate that the ocean water meets State standards for bacteria. To protect yourself from a recreational water illness, avoid body contact with ocean water should be avoided for a minimum of 50 yards on either side of each posted sign.


Ocean Water Program Staff Specialist

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805-654-2830