Agritoxins

Agritoxins, which refer to the toxic pesticides used in agriculture, are impairing Ventura County’s inland and coastal waterbodies, and polluting the air we breathe and the water we drink. In 2001,

Ventura County ranked 9th in its use of agritoxins and 4th in its use per square mile among all fifty-eight California counties. Forty-four percent of the land in Ventura County is used for agriculture.

Stormwater and irrigation runoff carry residual agritoxins (up to 80% of the amount used in some cases), high concentrations of nutrients from fertilizers, and excessive sediment loads that are often laden with agritoxins into Ventura County’s coastal rivers, estuaries, wetlands, Areas of Special Biological Significance (ASBS), and seashores. All of these waterways are the primary nurseries for aquatic life and migratory birds, and some of the most heavily used recreational areas in the State of California.  

Swimmers, surfers, and children just playing in the shore-break surf are especially vulnerable to liquid borne agritoxins since they often ingest water as a consequence of their activities. Many of the most commonly used agritoxins in Ventura County disrupt the immune systems, reproductive abilities, nervous systems, and morphology of flora, fauna, and all living beings. As these toxins transport and biomagnify up the food chain, the effect become even more severe and ecosystems suffer devastating degradation. Agritoxins pollute our air and water and the bodies of living organisms (including humans) in ways we do not yet fully understand, yet the agritoxin users do not pay to monitor, regulate, or clean up them up. The adverse ecological and societal health

consequences are thus paid for by those who live in communities near agricultural activities.

Current federal and state regulations are ineffective in ensuring that agritoxins do not harm people and the environment.  However, through working with farmers, monitoring, advocacy, and legal

action, VCK can prevent agritoxins from polluting Ventura County’s environment.

VCK’s agritoxins campaign is focused on:

1.) Clean Water Act Agricultural Waiver compliance and enforcement

2.) Monitoring Water Quality and Legally Mandated Best Management Practices

3.) Advocating for more protective local, statewide, and federal regulations

4.) Protecting communities and workers via outreach, education, and advocacy 

5.) Protecting Endangered Species

6.) Initiating citizen enforcement where necessary