Fighting Agricultural Pollution in the Central Valley

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board and the State Water Quality Resources Control Board will hold a joint workshop on irrigated lands and agricultural pollution waivers on Thursday, September 13.  This workshop draws attention away from the Boards’ lack of action to control agricultural pollution in the Central Valley and in Delta waterways.  The stated purpose of the workshop is to address questions about the agricultural pollution waiver program – yet the Board has failed to respond to Baykeeper’s comments submitted during the public comment period.  The Board also has failed to acknowledge claims levied in the recent lawsuit filed by Baykeeper and California Sportsfishing Protection Alliance and instead stands by its illegal program.

The Boards have thus far avoided sufficiently regulating California’s largest source of water pollution.

Read More about Baykeeper's Work to Clean Up Big Agriculture

Saving the Delta Smelt

On August 31, a federal judge ruled that water management in the Delta must be adjusted in order to prevent the extinction of the threatened Delta smelt.  U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger ordered water agencies to maintain flow in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta by reducing pumping or increasing water releases upstream to prevent smelt from getting sucked into massive pumps that deliver water to farms and cities south of the Delta.  This recent ruling in our suit to protect the smelt is an important step forward in the fight to achieve a healthy and sustainable system in the Delta. The lawsuit was filed by Earthjustice on behalf of NRDC, Friends of the River, California Trout, The Bay Institute, and Baykeeper.

Find Out More About Baykeeper's Efforts to Save This Tiny Fish

Port of Stockton Victory: Controlling Development in the Delta

Late last month, Baykeeper successfully concluded more than three years of work to reach a settlement agreement in a lawsuit against the Port of Stockton to reduce the environmental impact caused by an expansion of the Port. The Port has announced that it will take significant measures to avoid environmental damage to protect Delta waters from the effects of dredging. Especially important is that the Port will be injecting extra
oxygen into the Deep Water Shipping Channel to improve habitat for Delta
smelt and other fish.

In 2004, Baykeeper, the Natural Resources Defense Council and homeowner groups sued the Port of Stockton after it approved the West Complex expansion on Rough and Ready Island without accurately assessing the environmental impacts of the project or adopting meaningful pollution mitigation measures as required by California law. 

Get All of the Details on Baykeeper's Fight for a Healthy Delta

Upcoming Events

California Coastal Cleanup Day - Strawberry Creek Cleanup
Cleanup from 11 - 2 on September 18, 2007
Sponsored by Baykeeper, Teva, UC Berkeley Office of Environment, Health and Safety
Sproul Plaza at Sather Gate, UC Berkeley Campus

In conjunction with California Coastal Cleanup Day, come volunteer with Baykeeper to clean up Berkeley campus creek. Trash in the creek not only looks bad, it ends up in the Bay where it hurts marine animals and fouls up water quality. Also check out Teva and Lonely Planet's new product lines at Bancroft Clothing and enjoy a concert by Jay Nash. We need your help to make the Bay clean and healthy for fish, wildlife and our local communities. This is a great opportunity to do your part and have some fun. Hope to see you there!

For other cleanups, see the California Coastal Cleanup Day website.

Troubled Waters: A Forum on the Health of the San Francisco Bay
Hosted by Assemblymember Loni Hancock
6:30 – 9:00 PM on Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Rosa Parks Elementary School
920 Allston Way, Berkeley, California

Around the San Francisco Bay, three pieces of litter line every foot of local creeks and streams. Thousands of animals are entangled in trash each year.  In parts of the Pacific Ocean, plastic outnumbers plankton six to one.  The problems are powerful, but so are the solutions.  Come learn about legislation and other steps being taken to protect and restore the Bay and how you can get involved in the conservation effort. Baykeeper Director of Programs Sejal Choksi will participate in a panel presentation on water quality in San Francisco Bay, and Baykeeper will have a table where you can learn more about issues facing the Bay.

Wine and Spirits Magazine Top 100 Tasting
October 17, 2007
Golden Gate Club, Presidio of San Francisco

Join us for our second year at Wine & Spirits Magazine’s Top 100 Event, which honors the Top 100 wineries from all over the world that consistently receive the magazine critics’ highest ratings. Bay Area chefs and local, artisan purveyors will serve food to complement the wineries’ best performing bottlings. A portion of proceeds benefit Baykeeper because fine wine cannot be made without clean water. Tickets are $120 and will go quickly. Buy tickets here.

We Need Your Support

Thanks to the 150 of you who were able to join us at Green Drinks last week! We had a great time celebrating our recent mercury victory and getting energized for our upcoming battle against big oil. See photos on our website.

If you did not pick up one of our new organic sustainably-made T-shirts at Green Drinks, we are offering you another chance. Make a donation of $30 or more and get a free shirt, but act quickly because supplies are limited. As always, every dollar of your support goes to making the San Francisco Bay safe and healthy again for families and wildlife.