** NEWS! - SPECIAL THANKS to the Metropolitan Water District Community Partnering Program for providing funding for purchasing new water quality testing supplies!  For more information regarding MWD and CPP please visit their website at: http://www.mwdh2o.com/mwdh2o/pages/yourwater/cpp/cpp.html

Background

The RCDSMM is working with Heal the Bay, U.S. Geological Survey, UCLA, and the City of Malibu to coordinate continuous monitoring of the following water quality parameters: water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, turbidity, and chlorophyll a.  This information is being used to help understand how changes in water quality are impacting water quality at Surfrider Beach and the endangered fishes of Malibu Creek and Lagoon.

This element will focus on the role of water quality and will provide background on the on-going management concerns relative to both human recreational use and natural resource protection in the Malibu Creek Watershed.

Objectives

Examine the water quality of Malibu Lagoon.  Collected data will be incorporated into a comprehensive database used by resource managers.  Students will also be looking at accuracy, precision and completeness parameters. 

What will the students be doing?

• Students will use various instruments to conduct field-sampling tests in Malibu Lagoon and collect data for the following water quality parameters:
  • pH
  • Salinity
  • Dissolved Oxygen
  • Conductivity
  • Temperature
• Water samples can be collected from the lagoon to take back to the school lab for analysis of additional constituents including the following:
  • Bacteria
  • Nutrients – nitrogen, orthophosphate, ammonia-N
  • Dissolved Oxygen

Click the follwing link to see: Malibu Lagoon Water Quality Data from RCD Education Programs_2006 to 2010