(May 25, 2023) The United States Supreme Court today ruled that the Clean Water Act does not allow the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate some wetlands near bodies of protected waters. The court determined that the law covers only wetlands “with a continuous surface connection” to protected waters, even though they may be part of the same greater ecosystem or have been artificially...
(Apr 11, 2023) 13 Groups Demand That EPA Crack Down on Billions of Gallons of Industrial Wastewater by Updating Effluent Limits, as Required by Clean Water Act
San Francisco—A coalition of environmental groups, including San Francisco Baykeeper, today filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to set limits on harmful chemicals like cyanide, benzene,...
(Apr 7, 2023) Acting Governor Eleni Kounalakis yesterday requested federal emergency disaster relief support for California’s salmon fishing industry. The Pacific Fishery Management Council, the federal body that recommends best practices for West Coast fisheries, is calling for a full closure of the ocean salmon season off California and parts of Southern Oregon based on 2023 abundance forecasts...
(Mar 10, 2023) In response to a petition Baykeeper and allies filed earlier this week, the State Water Board late yesterday reversed its emergency order that waived Bay-Delta water quality standards. The previous order allowed agencies to sequester water behind dams rather than let it flow into the Bay estuary, which caused environmental harm according to analyses from state and federal dam...
(Mar 7, 2023) San Francisco Baykeeper and allies late yesterday filed a petition (here, with exhibit) requesting the State Water Board to rescind an emergency order that waived Bay-Delta water quality standards through the end of March.The order has caused irreparable environmental harm, including by damaging commercial and recreational fisheries as well as by reducing survival of winter-run...
(Jan 26, 2023) San Francisco – A national study of water pollution from oil refineries reveals that Bay Area refineries are among the most polluting refineries in the country, including the Chevron Richmond and Valero Benicia refineries. Chevron is the frequent subject of complaints to Baykeeper’s pollution hotline, and Baykeeper is currently suing Valero for spilling toxic petroleum coke into...
(Jan 19, 2023) Bay Area Residents and Wildlife Remain at Risk
President Biden is visiting the South Bay today with Governor Newsom to tour damage from recent storms. January’s atmospheric river events dumped upwards of 22 million gallons of sewage into San Francisco Bay. Much of the Bay Area’s stormwater and wastewater infrastructure are decades old. During the recent storms, streets flooded...
(Jan 6, 2023) Agencies Must Improve Sewage Systems to Meet Known Challenges
OAKLAND—Reports indicate that recent heavy rains overwhelmed the East Bay Municipal Utility District’s sewage treatment plants. This means the agency has already possibly released millions of gallons of raw or partially treated sewage directly into the Bay, with even more rains on the way. The ongoing atmospheric river...
(Dec 16, 2022) Newsom's Delta Tunnel Comment Period Ends
Baykeeper statement: Death Sentence for SF Bay’s Fish
Today, San Francisco Baykeeper and 13 partner organizations filed comments with the California Department of Water Resources on the draft environmental impact report for Governor Newsom’s Delta conveyance project (“Delta tunnel”). The organizations represent a wide range of...
(Oct 28, 2022) SF Baykeeper is a longstanding protector of San Francisco Bay. Our approach of hardhitting advocacy and cutting-edge litigation has always required us to work within the entirety of the Bay's watershed, because a healthy Bay depends on the health of the tributary waters that flow into it.
Over the past few years, Waterkeeper Alliance has questioned Baykeeper’s jurisdiction and...