Our Blue Water Task Force Labs

The South Bay Chapter has been running a vibrant BWTF “Teach & Test” lab in Redondo Beach since 2004. This lab is run by and for students, engaging middle and high school youth from local schools in real-world water quality monitoring and science education.

Students from participating schools collect bi-weekly water samples from numerous South Bay beaches and nearby wetlands, then bring them back to the fresh-air lab space generously provided by Dive N’ Surf since 2019 for processing and analysis under the guidance of trained coordinators and volunteers.

Operations of this lab have been generously sponsored by West Basin Municipal Water District since 2006. 

In 2025, the South Bay chapter launched a second BWTF lab in Gardena at the Gardena Willows Wetlands Preserve. In partnership with the City of Gardena, Friends of Gardena Willows Wetlands, and Environmental Charter Schools, this lab will invite students and community members to participate in community science and better understand the connection between watersheds and coastal health. 

The Gardena Willows is a 13.6-acre remnant of the Dominguez Slough that functions as a rare urban wetland in Los Angeles County and gives participants the opportunity to collect and analyze samples from the preserve’s marsh and riparian areas, helping to connect watershed health with downstream coastal water quality. Learn more about the ecological and indigenous history of the Willows here.