Enewsletter for October 2020

The Bay is literally surrounded by polluters of all shapes and sizes.

Approximately 1,600 industrial facilities line the Bay and its tributaries. In the absence of pollution controls, these companies dump contaminants into storm drains, creeks, streets, and San Francisco Bay. So our science team annually conducts an in-depth analysis of pollution sampling results to identify—and stop—the worst offenders.

Earlier this year, our scientists found that the circuit board manufacturer TTM Technologies was releasing extremely high levels of heavy metals and nitrogen into the stormwater system that feeds into the Guadalupe River, Alviso Slough, and San Francisco Bay. Nitrogen can cause depleted oxygen levels and algae blooms, and heavy metals are highly toxic to people and wildlife.

So we sued TTM for its violations of the Clean Water Act.

Under the resulting settlement agreement, TTM will install robust pollution controls and closely monitor its runoff to ensure that the fixes are working effectively. And we will continue to monitor them.

Read more about how we’re stopping TTM’s pollution. 

Pictured: a heron takes flight near Alviso Slough in the South Bay, by Robb Most

The Trump administration took an absurd approach when it tried to strip the South Bay’s salt ponds of environmental protections. Trump’s EPA declared that the ponds weren’t water at all, and therefore not covered by the Clean Water Act.

This ridiculous claim was a thinly veiled attempt to make the area more profitable for Cargill, the corporate landowner, to sell it off to developers.

The ponds are historic Bay wetlands. If Cargill were allowed to fill in the salt ponds for development, it would set the stage for future climate-driven flooding along Redwood City and nearby shorelines. Wetlands, on the other hand, can be restored, and would provide a natural buffer to rising seas and create new habitat for many of the Bay Area's endangered species.

Baykeeper led the legal battle against Cargill and the Trump administration—joined by our partners at Save the Bay, Green Foothills, and Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge—to argue for Clean Water Act protections for the ponds. And we won!

Last week, the District Court Judge ruled in San Francisco Baykeeper vs. US EPA that the ponds should be protected by the Clean Water Act "because they are wet… and they have important interconnections to the Bay."

We couldn’t agree more!

Read more about our salt ponds case. 

Photo: Dicklyon / CC BY-SA

Our aerial patrols are giving us a new perspective on harmful algae blooms (HABs) in the Delta.

HABs aren’t your typical pond scum. One kind of HAB, known as blue-green algae (which are actually bacteria), releases toxins that are so potent that people and animals can be harmed just by breathing droplets of contaminated water. Contact with these HABs can be deadly for dogs and other creatures that swim too close and can cause serious illnesses for humans.

The blooms thrive on agricultural runoff and sewage pollution, warm temperatures, and stagnant water. Historically, conditions in the Bay-Delta have not been conducive to large HABs, mostly due to the strong tidal flows that permeate into the upper reaches of our watershed. Unfortunately, HAB-generating conditions are now becoming more common. This year, the Delta had an unusually high number of HABs.

To get a better perspective on the problem, Baykeeper’s scientists teamed up with Restore the Delta to survey the area from above. We partnered with LightHawk Conservation Flying to observe these blooms from above. We’ll use this documentation to continue to track algae blooms and to inform our advocacy to stop them at the source. And we’ve already been working proactively on limiting HAB pollution sources around the Bay, before the harmful blooms become a problem in this part of the waterway, too.

Pictured: a harmful algae bloom (in bright green, center) in the Delta, captured during an aerial patrol with LightHawk. Aerial patrols are ideal for tracking HABs since they are more visible from above than from sea level.

During regular boat patrols on the Bay, our staff and skippers often assess the many parts of the beautiful shoreline that have been historically paved over by concrete and have fallen into disrepair. One such area is known as "DePave Park", on the former Naval Air Base in Alameda.

When some of our members notified us that there were considerations underway by the Alameda City Council to do something about this concrete eyesore, we got engaged. 

Baykeeper worked with key environmental stakeholders to develop the DePave Park Vision Plan and provided written and oral testimony at hearings and meetings in its favor. And with strong support from the community, the Alameda City Council recently approved moving forward with the project!

The shoreline park proposal includes restored habitat for fish and wildlife and a new Bay-front recreational spot for people. Even more importantly, the wetlands will soften the effects of sea level rise and evolve new ecosystems with the rising tides.

As the project moves to the next stage of the planning process, we’ll continue to advocate to make DePave park a reality, both for the benefit of local communities and as a climate adaptation strategy to replicate throughout the region. The next round of design review will engage directly with community members—Alameda residents: stay tuned!

Pictured: the DePave Park site, as captured during Baykeeper drone patrol

We know 2020 has been rough. Next Wednesday, take a break from the news and join the Baykeeper Happy Hour to hear what’s making us optimistic for the future!

We’ll share happy victories from the Bay, plus a live performance by The Fishwives sea shanty band.

And the event will feature a guided wine tasting of Rosé for the Bay, led by Peter Molnar, Obsidian Wine Co. manager and Baykeeper champion.

You can opt to get a bottle of Rosé for the Bay shipped to you in advance to join the tasting from home. Sign up by tomorrow, October 16, to get your bottle of rosé in time for the event! 

You can also select a Baykeeper mask or get tickets for an exclusive in-person socially distant group tasting in Napa on Saturday, October 24.

Register for the Baykeeper Happy Hour on Wednesday 10/21.

Trash is a serious pollution problem for San Francisco Bay. This year we’re seeing a big uptick in disposable items like straws and gloves littering sidewalks and shorelines.

You can take action to stop trash pollution by organizing your own cleanup! Baykeeper has all the guidelines you need to help protect the Bay while staying distanced and safe. 

Plus, the data you collect on trash contamination is critical for Baykeeper’s advocacy to strengthen local laws to prevent trash pollution. Join us in taking action for the Bay this month, and help remove trash before winter rains wash more litter into the Bay.

And a huge thank you to our amazing Coastal Cleanup Month volunteers that have already made a huge impact for the Bay. We mobilized 50 cleanups all around the Bay in September!

Get details on organizing a trash cleanup to protect the Bay.

Pictured: Baykeeper volunteer extraordinaire Eric Hoover after a self-guided cleanup in Oakland.