Clean Water News

SACRAMENTO—State Senator Wesley Chesbro, Assembly member Paul Koretz, and leaders of the Karuk Indian Tribe joined with environmentalists today in calling for the cleanup of nine of the biggest polluted waterways in the state, as required under the original Clean Water Act more than thirty years ago and again under recent court orders and  U.S. EPA policy.

The group rallied around a new report written by Environment California Research & Policy Center, A Clean Water Future for California, that lays out a clear road map for how the state’s regional water boards can adopt strong, effective clean up plans to restore the state’s largest and most endangered water bodies before the Clean Water Act marks its next thirty-year anniversary.

“When our children look back in 30 years, they will look at the cleanup plans drafted by our water boards and ask whether they succeeded in bringing one of California’s most beautiful places back to health,” stated Assembly member Paul Koretz (D-West Hollywood), “Let’s leave the next generation the legacy of a clean water future.”

Waterways profiled in the report include three of the largest bays in the state - Santa Monica, San Francisco and Humboldt Bay; three of the largest rivers– the Sacramento, Klamath and San Joaquin; and three of the largest lakes – Clear Lake, Lake Tahoe and Eagle Lake in California.  The waterways provide habitat to numerous endangered species, are visited by millions each year, provide drinking water to most Californians and are primary economic drivers for the state. 

All the waterways, however, face serious contamination issues that threaten their health.  According to the U.S. Geological Survey, for example, some San Francisco Bay locations are among the most highly polluted coastal sites in the United States.  90 percent of Santa Monica Bay is polluted at levels that impact wildlife.  Due to low flows, in 2002 the Klamath River suffered one of the largest fish kills in the nation’s history and 60 miles of the San Joaquin River often runs dry.  Several sources contribute to this degradation, including urban runoff, agricultural pollution, old mining operations, low flows and habitat destruction. 

Full restoration of these waterways will allow swimmers to swim in Santa Monica Bay throughout the year, return salmon to the San Joaquin River and protect the clarity of Lake Tahoe. 

Under the original Clean Water Act, and again, under more recent U.S. EPA policy, cleanup plans to restore the state’s biggest polluted waterways must by drafted by California’s Regional Water Boards and approved by the State Water Board within the next decade. To seize the opportunity that this cleanup program provides, Environment California’s report lays out five key measures the water boards should take to restore these waterways.  These recommendations include: officially recognizing the pollution that impacts California’s largest waterways, stopping new pollution of the waterways, cleaning up existing contamination, restoring flow to waterways and restoring habitat. 

“It is important that our waterways be restored for California’s environment and economic health,” said Sujatha Jahagirdar, Clean Water Advocate for Environment California Research & Policy Center and author of the report.  “The good news is, the path to health is within our reach should the regional boards craft and enforce tough plans.”