Regular folks polluting Bay

By David Lewis
GUEST COMMENTARY
Saturday, April 15, 2006

GONE ARE the days when the Bay was choked with raw sewage and industrial pollution and every city used its shoreline as a dump. The Bay is cleaner than it was 40 years ago when sewers and factories weren't regulated. But pollution still threatens Bay. Now Bay Area residents are the problem.

The good news is that because we create this pollution, we have the power to diminish it.

The majority of new Bay pollution comes from storm drain runoff and that means toxic materials such as motor oil, heavy metals, trash and bacteria flow unfiltered from our homes, cars and neighborhoods through storm drains to the Bay. Have you ever washed your car in your driveway, neglected to pick up your pet's waste, lost a plastic bag to the wind or owned a car that leaked oil? Then, chances are you have polluted the Bay. The San Francisco Bay is a catch basin for polluted runoff water from 40 percent of the entire state.

On average, three pieces of trash can be found along every foot of streams leading into the Bay, and more than 200,000 pounds of garbage was removed on September's Coastal Cleanup Day. Oakland and San Francisco are even considering taxes on fast food restaurants and plastic grocery bags because they create litter.

Car engine leaks and road runoff contribute more oil to coastal waters than oil tanker spills, and on average, each Bay Area resident contributes one quart of motor oil from their leaking cars every year. When you wash your car on pavement, soapy water, motor oil, copper, lead and other heavy metals are washed down the storm drains -- which bypass the wastewater treatment plants -- and flow into creeks and the Bay.

Wildlife that accidentally eat plastic can starve from lack of nutrients. Car pollutants disrupt natural habitats and can be toxic to the Bay's more than 500 species. Oil can contaminate and smother animals and plants.

The Bay Area is well aware of the pollution threat. A recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California indicates that 81 percent of Bay Area residents think runoff pollution from storm drains and streets in our waterways is a problem. Now, residents must commit to being part of the solution and take simple actions to protect the Bay:

After changing your car's oil, recycle the used oil. Keep your car well maintained to prevent leaks. Use a car wash. All professional car washes are required to send dirty water to a wastewater treatment plant. Properly dispose of mercury-containing items; it is now against the law to throw these items away. Don't litter, and collect loose trash in your neighborhood. Always pick up your pet's waste. To learn how to responsibly dispose of motor oil, hazardous waste, e-waste, mecury-containing items and more visit www.ikeepitclean.org.

In addition to being filled with raw sewage, in 1961 one-third of the Bay had already been filled or diked off from the tides, and there were plans to fill 60 percent of what remained, leaving only a narrow river. Together, we stopped Bay fill, and we are succeeding in making the Bay bigger again. Let's not let pollution impede our progress. The Bay Area's quality of life and economy depend on it.