E.J. Harrison & Sons Reaches Storm Water Settlement Agreement with the Wishtoyo Foundation and its Ventura Coastkeeper Program to Protect the Santa Clara River and Ventura's Coastal Waters

Saticoy, Ventura County, CA - E.J. Harrison & Sons and Wishtoyo Foundation's Ventura Coastkeeper Program ("VCK") are pleased to announce the resolution of a lawsuit filed against E.J. Harrison & Sons by VCK in December of 2010. The settlement agreement, filed in federal court along with a dismissal of the suit, provides for E.J. Harrison & Sons to construct additional storm water treatment infrastructure to continue to ensure that storm water discharges from its Saticoy facility comply with Clean Water Act water quality standards and are protective of the ecological, recreational, and cultural uses of the Santa Clara River and Ventura's Coastal waters. "E.J. Harrison & Sons is making a commitment to protecting the Santa Clara River and Ventura's coastal waters that should be applauded" says Jason Weiner, Ventura Coastkeeper's Associate Director and Staff Attorney.

In addition, E.J. Harrison & Sons is providing $50,000 for California Trout to work on steelhead migration projects in the Santa Clara River watershed, and $5,000 for Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy ("CAUSE") to conduct 12 Santa Clara River watershed street, storm channel, wetlands, stream, and river community trash clean up events.

"The settlement is one more of the important needed measures to provide Ventura County residents and visitors with coastal waters and a Santa Clara River that are safe for recreational and cultural utilization, and that support native wildlife such as the endangered "Isha'kowoch" (Chumash name for Southern California Steelhead)," says Mati Waiya, Chumash Ceremonial Elder and Executive Director of the Wishtoyo Foundation and its Ventura Coastkeeper Program.

E.J. Harrison & Sons, founded in 1932, operates a facility in Saticoy adjacent to the Santa Clara River. The company services about 90,000 customers in Ventura, Camarillo, Fillmore, Ojai, Thousand Oaks and surrounding unincorporated areas of Ventura County with residential, commercial and industrial service. The company also services Point Mugu and the Channel Islands Beach Communities as well as Carpinteria in Santa Barbara County.

"We feel our commitment to the environment is second to none, and we have a long history to back our claim," said Ralph Harrison, President of E.J. Harrison & Sons.

Harrison said his company's trash collection and recycling practices have had a major positive impact on the environment for over two decades, and last year marked a major milestone for the company. In 2010, Harrison earned Climate Registered status for taking voluntary steps to measure its operation's carbon footprint, ensuring that it is moving toward compliance of Assembly Bill 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act. The Climate Registry is a non-profit organization that operates the only carbon footprint registry in North America. Even before earning Climate Registry status, Ralph Harrison noted the company began gradually replacing a large number of its diesel trucks with vehicles that run on cleaner-burning liquefied natural gas and in 2006 opened the first LNG fueling station in western Ventura County.

Ralph Harrison also points to a number of industry and civic honors Harrison has been awarded over the years for its environmental efforts. They include the 2011 Climate Change Action Award, by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors; the 2010 Environmentally Conscious Business Award, by the Ojai Chamber of Commerce; and the 2005 Blue Sky Award, given by CALSTART, North America's leading advanced transportation technologies consortium. As for recycling, E.J. Harrison & Sons' record speaks for itself. In the newly released diversion numbers from the State of California, all of the cities Harrison serves surpassed the mandated 50 percent diversion goal. Harrison also has future plans to bring food waste recycling to all of its customers, working toward the 75 percent reduction that is now mandated.

In recognition of its great recycling programs in 2007, the California Resource Recovery Association took note, citing Harrison Industries for having California's Outstanding Recycling Program. For further information about Harrison-visit: www.ejharrison.com

About the Wishtoyo Foundation and its Ventura Coastkeeper Program: Founded in 1997, Wishtoyo is a 501(c)(3) non profit grassroots organization with over 700 members consisting of Ventura County's diverse residents and Chumash Native Americans. Wishtoyo's mission is to preserve and protect Chumash culture, the culture of all of Ventura County's diverse communities, and the environment that our current and future generations depend upon. Wishtoyo shares traditional Chumash Native American beliefs, cultural practices, songs, dances, stories, and values with the public in its Chumash Discovery Village and through educational programs in schools to promote environmental awareness and natural resources stewardship. In 2000, Wishtoyo founded its Ventura Coastkeeper Program ("VCK"). VCK's mission is to protect, preserve, and restore the ecological integrity and water quality of Ventura County's inland and coastal waterbodies for all beings in the County's diverse community through outreach and education, restoration projects, scientific analysis, advocacy, litigation, and community organizing and empowerment. To learn more about Wishtoyo and its Ventura Coastkeeper Program, visit us at http://www.wishtoyo.org/ventura-coastkeeper.html.