Enewsletter for August 2020

Last week, a power outage at EBMUD’s wastewater treatment plant in Oakland caused a spill of 50,000 gallons of raw sewage into the Bay. Weekend storms likely prolonged the effects of the sewage pollution, making the East Bay’s waters unsafe for people and wildlife. As Baykeeper Executive Director Sejal Choksi-Chugh said in a statement to KQED, a spill like this is devastating because raw sewage contains bacteria, viruses, and other harmful pathogens—and people and wildlife are already exposed to way too much industrial waste and urban pollution in West Oakland.

We’re investigating why EBMUD doesn’t have stronger failsafe measures in case of a power outage, and advocating for PG&E and EBMUD to strengthen channels of communication with one another—and with the public—to prevent a spill like this from happening again.

For EBMUD’s most recent advisories about this spill, visit the agency’s alerts page.

Baykeeper Senior Scientist Jon Rosenfield recently spoke before the Richmond Planning Commission against a disastrous plan to develop Point Molate—a "crown jewel” of the East Bay shoreline. Point Molate is uniquely valuable to the Bay ecosystem. It's home to one of the Bay's remaining eelgrass bed, which provides essential spawning habitat for Pacific Herring, a prized local fishery. Point Molate is also a popular recreational spot, home to rare plants and wildlife, and sites that are sacred to the Bay's indigenous people. But it has the misfortune to sit right next to the Chevron oil refinery, which regularly spews pollution into the surrounding air and water. These are reasons enough not to build houses and commercial strips on the spot, but it also lacks the necessary roads, water, and utilities to support a residential community—and the cost to build them would fall on Richmond taxpayers, not the developers.

In the end, the Commission made minor adjustments to the developers' plan and passed it 4:1. For Baykeeper and our partners, the fight goes on!

Panorama of Point Molate by Ben Eichenberg

Every year in September, Californians gather by the thousands along shorelines for Coastal Cleanup Day to remove trash from our beautiful beaches.

Due to COVID-19, this year’s Coastal Cleanup Day will be different. Since we can't hold large gatherings, we're mobilizing our supporters to hold cleanups—solo, or in small groups of pandemic bubbles—throughout the month.

Our goal is for Baykeeper supporters and volunteers to hold a total of 50 cleanups throughout the Bay Area in September.

Trash pollution has gotten worse during the pandemic due to a sharp increase in the use of plastic bags, takeout containers, and other single-use items, like gloves and masks. Now more than ever, it’s essential for us to fight (and track) the rising tide of trash pollution—September 2020 may be the most important Coastal Cleanup "Day" yet!

Click here to learn how to plan and organize a cleanup.

Photo: From Baykeeper's Coastal Cleanup Day cleanup in 2016, by Robb Most

When Baykeeper scientists recently reviewed pollution data from across the Bay Area, one facility stood out. Water quality results from PJ’s Rebar revealed that its Fremont facility was releasing heavy metals, nitrogen, and other pollutants.

Industrial pollutants pose a significant health risk to wildlife and people. Heavy metals are toxic, and excessive nitrogen can deplete oxygen from water, suffocating aquatic animals and spurring the growth of toxic algae blooms.

PJ’s toxic runoff was entering the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, which is an important natural shoreline area that’s home to several endangered species and is a pupping site for harbor seals. The Refuge is also a popular destination for anglers, runners, birders, and bikers.

So Baykeeper’s lawyers held the polluter accountable and forced the company to comply with the Clean Water Act and clean up its site.  As a result, PJ’s will install an advanced stormwater treatment system and other pollution controls. Plus, PJ’s will also pay a $25,000 fine to the Rose Foundation for Communities & the Environment to support local organizations helping to restore the health of the Bay.

There are still many more sources of industrial pollution around the Bay. But we’re grateful that there’s a more responsible neighbor of the Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge—and one less polluter polluting the Bay.

Read more about our settlement with PJ’s Rebar.

Photo: the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, by Calwhiz, Flickr/CC

In June, we reported that Contra Costa County was fast-tracking an oil drilling project at a long-defunct oil field Brentwood. The proposed site is about 1,000 feet from homes, half a mile from an elementary school, and next to a creek feeding into the Delta and San Francisco Bay.

Drilling for oil is an inherently dangerous activity. In addition to the constant threat of explosions and spills, communities living near oil sites face a higher incidence of cancer, heart and respiratory diseases, low birth weight, and other health problems.

So Baykeeper and our local partners No Drilling in Brentwood, Sunflower Alliance, Sierra Club, and the Center for Biological Diversity pushed back, demanding that the county conduct a thorough analysis of the proposal’s risks. And the pressure worked! Contra Costa County has agreed to put the project on hold to conduct a full environmental review and allow for more robust public comment.

We will continue to keep an eye on this process. Because reviving oil drilling next to Bay Area communities is the last thing we need during this unprecedented era of massive climate disruption and the clear need for the country to transition to cleaner energy.

During a recent aerial patrol with our partners at LightHawk Conservation Flying, volunteer pilot Noam Eisen captured some beautiful footage of the Bay from above—click here to scroll through a series of amazing shots on Instagram! Baykeeper partners with LightHawk regularly to assess bigger watershed-wide threats to the Bay and document polluting activities and sea level rise impacts from above. Thank you for helping us keep an eye our beautiful San Francisco Bay, LightHawk!