October 1999 Issues Online June 2007 April 2007 February 2007 December 2006 October 2006 August 2006 June 2006 April 2006 February 2006 December 2005 October 2005 August 2005 June 2005 April 2005 February 2005 December 2004 October 2004 August 2004 June 2004 April 2004 February 2004 December 2003 October 2003 August 2003 June 2003 April 2003 February 2003 December 2002 October 2002 August 2002 June 2002 April 2002 February 2002 December 2001 October 2001 August 2001 June 2001 April 2001 February 2001 December 2000 October 2000 August 2000 June 2000 April 2000 February 2000 December 1999 October 1999 August 1999 June 1999 April 1999 February 1999 December 1998 October 1998 August 1998 June 1998 April 1998 February 1998 December 1997 October 1997 August 1997 June 1997 April 1997 February 1997 December 1996 October 1996 August 1996 June 1996 April 1996 February 1996 December 1995 October 1995 August 1995 June 1995 April 1995 February 1995 December 1994 October 1994 August 1994 June 1994 April 1994 February 1994 December 1993 October 1993 August 1993 Select any issue from the menu in this bar.

Spot Cleaning

Nineteen places in the Bay-Delta region--including all of San Francisco Bay--are polluted enough to put them on the high priority list in the State Board's Consolidated Toxic Hot Spot Cleanup plan, adopted in June (see Now in Print). The Plan is the culmination of the Bay Protection and Toxic Cleanup Program, which required each Regional Board to identify hot spots in the state's bays and estuaries and develop remediation plans.

Bay and Delta hot spots include such well-known pollution sinks as Mission Creek, Cache Creek and the San Joaquin River. Statewide, the plan identifies 48 hot spots, as well as additional "sites of concern" that do not technically meet the definition of a hot spot, including 11 in the Bay.

The big question now is how to pay for cleanup. According to the plan, the cost of remediation for the Bay and Delta sites is likely to be upwards of $40 million, and possibly much, much more. Just cleaning up mercury and PCBs in the Bay could cost $45 million. Legislation that would have imposed new fees on dischargers to help fund cleanup was defeated in the state Assembly in June.

"We've got to figure out a way to carry this program forward," says Save the Bay's David Nesmith. "It's not clear that we can do that within the current political context. (Governor) Gray Davis and the Legislature don't seem to be very interested."

"The plan directs the Regional Boards to pursue cleanup of sites if a discharger is identified, using existing authorities," says the State Board's Craig Wilson, adding that responsible parties have been identified for about half the hot spots. Where the responsible party is not identified, the plan directs the Regional Boards to seek cleanup funding from existing sources, including the Clean Water Act Nonpoint Source grants, the State Agricultural Drainage Management Loan Program and CALFED.

Contact: Craig Wilson (916)657-1108

«To @@(newsletter_title)@@ Index

[ ABAG HOME | SFEP HOME ]

Copyright © 2002, San Francisco Estuary Project