Thursday, February 12, 2009

Cities and Counties: Clean Up Your Creeks...Or Else

Water board moves to clean up Bay, waterways
Jane Kay, SF Chronicle, February 12, 2009

The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board voted Wednesday to designate most of San Francisco Bay's shoreline and two dozen tributaries as "impaired" under the federal Clean Water Act.

The vote is the first step in putting counties and cities on notice that the U.S. EPA could impose legal requirements and fines if they don't get rid of the trash, however, the listing could also bring resources to aid in the cleanup.

The list of sites recommended for cleanup - including Strawberry Creek in Berkeley, Guadalupe River in Santa Clara County, and the entire central and lower San Francisco Bay shorelines - will go to the State Water Resources Control Board and the EPA for concurrence. If approved, the EPA would require the region to start regulating trash as an urban pollutant or face heavy fines.

Read the complete story here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/12/BAKG15SAKG.DTL&type=green

Read the RWQCB Staff Report "Evaluation of Water Quality Conditions for the San Francisco Bay Region here: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/sanfranciscobay/board_info/agendas/2009/february/6_Appendix_A.pdf

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