In late January 2008 , heavy rains and operator error caused a huge sewage overflow of sewage at a treatment plant in Marin County. More than 2.5 gallons of only partially sewage spilled out of the plant and into Corte Madera Creek which flows into Richardson Bay. Unfortunately, this is the second spill to occur in one week. Only five days earlier, the same sewage treatment plant discharged another 2.5 million gallons of sewage after having been overwhelmed by heavy rains.

The impact of these spills is unquestionable. Richardson Bay supports steelhead salmon population and Richardson Bay is home to one of the largest eelgrass beds in the Bay as well as populations of native oysters, herring, endangered clapper rails, and endangered salt marsh harvest mice. Only three months after being hit by toxic oil contamination from the Cosco Busan, the ecologically sensitive area was slammed with bacteria, harmful pathogens, and industrial chemicals. Because of its unique value, Richardson Bay is a federally designated no discharge zone, meaning that boats are not allowed to dump even small amounts of sewage in the Bay. The area is a very popular recreation area and a favorite spot for dog walking.

San Francisco Baykeeper has been working for ten years to eliminate sewage and industrial wastewater discharges from the San Francisco Bay. In the last few years, San Francisco Baykeeper successfully leveraged sewage infrastructure upgrades in the cities of Vallejo and Richmond - two of the worst sewage polluters in the Bay Area. We have also recently filed a lawsuit against the City of Burlingame to hold the city accountable for rampant sewage spills and the illegal use of a pipeline into a sensitive marsh area. Sadly, there are a number of sewage offenders in the Bay Area and San Francisco Baykeeper plans to target at least one half dozen more cities with lawsuits in the upcoming years in order to put an end to sewage spills.

Baykeeper's long-term goal has been to hold the worst violators accountable and to use the courts to force cities to invest in capital upgrades to their collection and treatment systems. However, the scale of the southern Marin spill - one of the largest in recent years from any size treatment plant - and has prompted Baykeeper to increase pressure for a systemic overhaul of Bay Area sewage systems. To that end, we are currently working with the East Bay Municipal Utilities District to improve systems in East Bay cities.

Public Notification
The statewide system for alerting county officials of reported spills is due for an upgrade. The state alert system failed once again as well, and only after a long delay was the public finally warned to avoid coming into contact with the water. Through our work on the Coast Guard investigation of the notification procedures for the Cosco Busan oil spill, Baykeeper has recognized a need for new requirements for procedures and training. We are working with legislators to develop new policy that will ensure that the state and local officials will work together to respond to spills and warn the public in a timely manner.

Look to Baykeeper for targeted action and comprehensive solutions to one of the Bay's worst pollution problems.