Protecting our Bay ecosystem - largest coastal "no-sewage zone" in USA

Last month's news article. The sewage dumping ban may be in effect now, articles available say from March, 2012.

San Francisco Chronicle/Peter Fimrite, 2/10/12.  "EPA bans ships from dumping waste off state coast." 

Cruise and cargo ships visit, but don't dump sewage here.

"A federal rule banning ships from flushing their sewage into the sea within 3 miles of the California coast was approved Thursday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The prohibition, which will go into effect next month, means cruise and cargo ships will no longer be able to discharge treated or untreated effluent or gray water anywhere along the coast, a practice that regulators blame for spreading bacteria and disease in marine mammals, fish and people.

The new rule will create the largest coastal no-sewage zone in the nation, covering the entire 1,624 mile coast from Mexico to Oregon 3 miles out into the ocean. It is expected to prevent the dumping of 22.5 million gallons annually of ship waste, a good portion of which has historically oozed into San Francisco Bay.  "This is a problem that has been going on from the time boats first started coming" to California, said Jared Blumenfeld, the EPA's regional administrator, after signing the rule. "What we are really doing is creating a coastal zone that recognizes the importance of our beaches, surfing, swimming and the reason people come to our iconic coastline."  Read more.

Reference.  State Senator Joe Simitian, 11th District (portions of San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties), anatomy of SB 771 "Vessels: Discharge Ban", a 6 year+ legislation effort to enact. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh