Cargill drops effort to remove Clean Water Act protections for Redwood City Salt Ponds

Cargill this week withdrew its appeal of a federal ruling that reinstated U.S. Clean Water Act (CWA) protections for the Redwood City Salt Ponds, marking the latest legal victory for environmental groups that have long battled against development of the 1,365-acre site. CWA protections do not preclude the possibility of development of the salt ponds, but add significant regulatory hurdles to proposed projects. For years, Cargill has expressed interest in developing the site, including a 2012 proposal to build up to 12,000 housing units that was later withdrawn amid public opposition.