Baykeeper submitted comments to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) on June 13, 2011 regarding a proposed desalination plant in East Contra Costa County. This letter was submitted in response to a proposal being evaluated by SFPUC, which considers whether to provide an additional $200,000 for studies in support of the permitting and environmental review processes for a desalination project at a currently undefined location in East Contra Costa County.
The debate continues between private developers and environmentalists over a proposal by the Bay Conservation and Development Commission that calls for development around the Bay to recognize sea level rise and plan accordingly. The Commission has postponed a final vote until October, pending further public comment.
At a Cupertino City Council meeting on Tuesday Steve Jobs presented his vision for a new Apple campus, where about 80% of the 150 acre site would be landscaped with permeable surfaces. He may not know it, but this is probably one of the largest low impact development (LID) projects in the Bay Area and will drastically reduce the amount of stormwater and contaminants coming from this urbanized site.
Much of Baykeeper’s work focuses on strengthening or maintaining clean water laws and regulations related to toxic pollutants and other contaminants capable of compromising the health of San Francisco Bay. We do this work by engaging in policy and regulatory processes, as well as conducting outreach, research and education. When necessary, we litigate on behalf of clean water and the laws intended to protect it.
New guidelines were released yesterday for safely eating fish caught in San Francisco Bay. The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has released an updated health advisory and safe eating guidelines for fish and shellfish caught from the Bay. This advisory replaces guidelines dating back to 1994 and is informed by a wealth of data collected over the last decade, particularly in relation to the presence and concentration of mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) within the Bay and how these toxic contaminants are magnified as they pass through the food chain.
Last week Baykeeper advocated for strengthening regulations on groundwater pollution from the Chevron Refinery. The 2,900-acre facility, located near Richmond on the southern shore of San Pablo Bay, was built in 1902 and produces a broad range of fuels, lubricants, asphalt and petrochemicals. Over its decades of operation, the refinery has generated large quantities of industrial waste, which is now stored at the refinery and has contaminated the site's groundwater.
Lehigh Southwest Cement Company’s Permanente Plant has spewed toxic mercury into the air since 1939. The Plant, which is located in Cupertino, emits approximately 435 pounds of mercury from its smokestacks each year, making it the largest source of mercury pollution in the Bay Area.
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently posted an interesting video titled Turbid Bay that discusses current research on how sediment is transported from the water column to tidal mudflats around the Bay. This work is critical to our understanding of whether sediments within the Bay are capable of building up existing tidal wetlands at a rate fast enough to keep up with sea level rise.
First, a sewage spill update: since I wrote last month about our annual Bay Area winter sewage spills, the number of gallons of sewage spilled has doubled! After a very rainy March, we can now say that nearly a quarter billion gallons of raw or undertreated sewage have entered San Francisco Bay and its tributaries this winter.
