A squatter sailboat has been towed from Aquatic Park after a long struggle to get it removed. The boat had illegally taken up residence in the cove without a permit, and Baykeeper received reports that the boater dumped raw sewage into the Bay. Baykeeper had been monitoring the boat and working with regulatory agencies to resolve the problem since it was first reported to our pollution hotline in February. Last week, the boat was towed out of the cove after losing its anchor and getting tangled in the moorings of two historic ships nearby. Baykeeper is continuing our work on the larger issue of pollution caused by anchor-outs and abandoned boats around the Bay.
During recent heavy rains, Baykeeper conducted new field visits to several industrial facilities to make sure polluted storm water wasn't running into the Bay. Baykeeper took photos and inspected flows to storm drains, and will be reviewing sampling data to check contamination levels.
Our new aerial patrol program helps Baykeeper investigate different types of threats to the Bay—from abandoned boats to oil slicks to shorelines vulnerable to sea level rise. Our volunteer drone pilot partners at Autonomous Imagery recently helped us document the path that oil tankers take across the Bay. The footage will allow us to map areas of the Bay likely to be impacted by an oil spill. Below is a still from the drone video of part of the oil tanker path, showing sailboats and a container ship on the Bay.
