Why This Blog?

Why blog?  For the same reason that a castaway stranded on a desert island spells out SOS in palm fronds. I’m blogging with the hope that someone might read what I have to say and be inspired to do something.  Since I first started working at Heal the Bay 20 years ago, newspaper media has been experiencing a slow and painful death.  The first casualty was the Herald Examiner, followed by The Outlook, The Reader, and now the slow dismantling of the once highly respected Los Angeles Times. Now, it is nearly impossible to get a newspaper to run an investigative piece on the environment in LA, let alone cover the day to day decisions that continue to erode our local quality of life.

So I’m doing what millions have done before me.  I started a blog.  I’m spouting off on many water and environmental issues that just aren’t covered much anywhere else. After so long in the business of environmental protection, my frustration has reached a boiling point.  Heal the Bay has helped accomplish some incredible environmental improvements over the years and there is no doubt that the Bay is  lot better off than it was in the mid 80s when we started.  However, the same can’t be said for California’s water quality, water and wastewater infrastructure, and the state of water supply. 

I’ll write about all of these issues and more.  I may slip in a few too many acronyms (get ready for the alphabet soup that is the RWQCB, TMDLs, SWRCB, NPDES permits, POTWs, MPAs, ASBS, LID and more) and I may be far too nerdy for the typical reader, but I guarantee that I’ll give you a candid (albeit cynical) assessment of the current world of water and other environmental issues.