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Baykeeper Volunteer Pollution Investigators

Submissions for this form are closed.


Baykeeper is pleased to announce that we have recruited enough new Volunteer Pollution Investigators, and recruitment is now closed for fall 2012. Volunteers are receiving training and helping Baykeeper find out which industrial facilities are polluting San Francisco Bay.

Volunteer Pollution Investigators are a key part of Baykeeper's Bay-Safe Industry Campaign. We're working to rein in a major source of pollution in San Francisco Bay—industrial storm water runoff.

Every rainy season, toxic contaminants are washed off from more than 1,300 industrial facilities around the Bay Area. These contaminants include copper, zinc, lead and petrochemicals at levels toxic to fish and many other species. Although about 95% of Bay Area industrial facilities have violated the Clean Water Act in recent years, underfunded California regulatory agencies inspect and require improvements at fewer than 5% of these facilities.

So Baykeeper is stepping in to curb this pollution. Volunteers are helping with a key step in the process—gathering evidence. Volunteer Pollution Investigators work in teams to conduct advance surveys of Bay Area industrial facilities before the first rain of the winter season. They send Baykeeper photos and observations of potential pollution sources and storm water sampling locations.

During significant rain storms, the volunteers return to the site and collect storm water discharge samples from around the facility perimeter for later testing. Baykeeper provides free training.

Thanks to everyone who signed up! And if you missed this opportunity, but are interested, we may re-open Volunteer Pollution Investigator recruitment in the future.

Questions? For more information, contact Ian Wren at ian@baykeeper.org or 415-856-0444 x 108.

Fall 2012 Training Sessions - Full

Saturday, September 8, 10:30 AM - 12 noon
Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge, 1 Marshlands Road, Fremont, CA 94555

Tuesday, September 18, 5:30 - 7 PM
San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Tuesday, September 25, 5:30 - 7 PM
Oakland Public Library, Rockridge Branch, 5366 College Avenue, Oakland, CA 94618