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Sewage pollution flows into bay; many beaches closed

Submitted by C. Nellie Nelson on Mon, 01/25/2010 - 22:42

As anticipated last week, the combination of heavy rainstorms and antiquated sewer systems have dumped millions of gallons of untreated, undertreated and diluted sewage into the bay and ocean. For at least part of last week, Fort Funston, Ocean Beach, China Beach, Baker Beach, Crissy Field and Candlestick Point were closed because of  the unsanitary conditions, and some closures have continue into this week. The SF Appeal did not mince words about what exactly was dumping onto the beaches and into the water.

 

San Francisco is the only city in the Bay Area where water runoff from the streets flows directly into the sewer system, according to SF Baykeeper. While other cities in the region also have outdated systems, their overflows tend to come from leaking pipes and other antiquated equipment.
Though a map of pollution from sewage in the last week shows points scattered across most counties on the bay, Marin County in particular is a perennial offender for its sheer volume of overflows. On January 19, an overflow pipe in Sausalito poured 40,000 gallons of diluted sewage into Richardson Bay. Workers installing internet cable had punctured it months before.
In February 2009, another pipe in Sausalito broke and released 400,000 gallons of sewage into the bay. In January 2008, the county spilled 2.5 million gallons of waste into the ocean, prompting criticism from regulators that the county had not spent spent the money necessary to maintain the system and prevent spills.