While patrolling the Bay on the Baykeeper boat over the last few years, we've noticed that a construction facility in Richmond has been slowly growing its operation and creeping into the Bay. More and more barges are starting to crowd the dock, and heavy industrial equipment keeps piling up along the shoreline. But the facility has not officially identified itself as an industrial operator.
"We're concerned that the company is trying to avoid complying with pollution laws by simply claiming that they're non-industrial," said Baykeeper Staff Attorney Ben Eichenberg.
Earlier this year, our field team patrolled the location by kayak (pictured, below) and documented the facility's lack of pollution controls. Last week, we submitted an assessment to local regulators detailing Baykeeper's concerns and recommending that the agency reclassify the facility as an industrial site, which would require it to follow environmental laws.
"The company needs to clean up its site and make sure they're not releasing toxic contaminants into the Bay," Ben noted. "They shouldn't be allowed to risk harming the Bay by abusing a loophole in the law."