Environmental Health Coalition's Clean Bay Campaign began in 1987 with the goal to clean up, restore, and protect San Diego Bay as a clean and healthy multi-use water resource. Due in part to our strong advocacy and education efforts, regulatory agencies, elected officials, other non-profit organizations and the general population have since embraced this goal. EHC is reducing its efforts around San Diego Bay and will focus future attention to the Bay tidelands in our target communities of Barrio Logan and National City, and the completion of the following ongoing activities:

Toxic Cleanup

Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan

South Bay Power Plant

best fisherphotoHistory of San Diego Bay

Prior to the 1900s, San Diego Bay was a fertile, shallow bay supporting tremendous biodiversity in its open water, salt marshes and mud flats. The Bay changed dramatically. Navigation channels were dredged. Mudflats and salt marshes were filled. Commercial, recreational, industrial, and military installations now cover most of the bayfront, especially in the northern portion of the Bay. More than 90% of the mudflats and 78% of the salt marshes were eliminated and those that remain are found mostly in South San Diego Bay.

Millions of gallons of raw sewage were dumped into the Bay starting in the early 1900's, and by 1960 the Bay was in a continual state of quarantine. When the Point Loma Treatment Plant became operational in 1963 and the Bay started to recover from the effects of sewage pollution, evidence of its toxic pollution was unmasked.

While the Bay started to look good on postcards, years of neglect, inadequate enforcement, accidents, deliberate dumping and the urban development of thousands of acres upstream took their toll on the health of the Bay. In 1987, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration determined that the toxic pollution level in the bay was the sixth highest of 50 bays and estuaries across the nation. Later studies pinpointed the "toxic hotspots" around the industrialized bayfront adjacent to Barrio Logan.

The San Diego County Department of Environmental Health first documented human health risks from eating fish caught in San Diego Bay in a study published in 1990. Researchers found fish containing elevated levels of toxins like Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), mercury and arsenic. They concluded that pregnant women and very young children could be at risk.

In 2005, Environmental Health Coalition conducted a survey of fishers on piers near areas of contaminated sediments. Of the 109 fishers interviewed, 96 percent were people of color. Almost two-thirds of the fishers eat their catch and 41 percent said they regularly feed the fish to their children. Recent visits to the fishing piers confirm that little has changed. Families are still using the bay as a source for food.

There are 22 different agencies with varying responsibilities for the water quality San Diego Bay, but the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), the San Diego Unified Port District, and the U.S. Military have greatest responsibility.

The Port was created by state legislation in 1962 to promote commerce, navigation, recreation and fisheries for most of the tidelands in the five cities around the Bay (San Diego, National City, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and Coronado). It is the landlord for the bayfront tenants and operates two marine terminals and two cruise terminals.

The RWQCB enforces both State and Federal Clean Water laws.

The Military presence in San Diego Bay began in 1919 and greatly expanded during and after World War II. It currently controls approximately 20% of the tidelands, including the largest naval base on the West Coat, the 32nd Street Naval Base.

Relationships to other EHC Efforts

Regional Transportation

San Diego Port District

jackie loza san diego bay

The pollution burden of the San Diego Bay can be found in its water and in the bay floor. The sources of pollution are many, but the most toxic pollution has come primarily from the military and shipyards, other bayside industries, and the South Bay Power Plant. Urban runoff also contributes to the pollution burden.

Pollutants of primary concern include Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), Tributylin Tin (TBT), arsenic, copper, lead, mercury, zinc along with the pesticide Diazinon.

EHC's History and Successes in San Diego Bay

EHC's Clean Bay Campaign began in 1987 with the goal to clean up, restore, and protect San Diego Bay as a clean and healthy multi-use water resource. In March 2012, the Regional Water Quality Control Board ordered a cleanup of the 143,400 cubic yards of toxic sediments from the bottom of San Diego Bay. After a 20-year battle, the Regional Board finally held  polluters accountable, and the bay will have a chance to return to a cleaner state.

Blueprint for a Clean Bay

Even as the newly formed Clean Bay Campaign began tackling the problems of cleanup and strengthening existing regulations, it started formulating its long-term vision. Published in 1991, the Blueprint for a Clean Bay set out a 10 point plan.

  • Sustain the Use – decisions must be considered in context of sustainable use; what is left of natural areas must be protected.
  • Enforce the laws – ensure permit compliance, make chronic violators accountable, impose mandatory fines for violations of NPDES permits, assess full find for Clean Water Act violations
  • Prevent pollution discharge – reduce use of toxic and hazardous materials, permit no new discharges into the Bay, reduce poison runoff, stop discharges from boats and ships, adopt pesticide use reduction programs
  • Cleanup toxic hot spots – evaluate cleanup plans according to health and safety based criteria
  • Protect Wildlife Habitat – stop wetland destruction, create the South Bay National Wildlife Refuge; Port District should emphasize environmental protection
  • Make the Bay fishable – Stop destruction of fish habitat and nursery areas; expand fish habitat and increase the numbers and diversity of fish; test fish for contamination
  • Monitor the Bay – set up a San Diego Bay Monitoring program; conduct marine life sampling; nominate the Bay as an "Estuary of National Significance," set standards for a Clean Bay
  • Military must cleanup – set a schedule for toxics use reduction; clean up old dumps; comply with existing laws
  • Provide for appropriate recreation – stop the flow of sewage to the Bay; encourage boating of appropriate intensity; connect open space and park systems to the Bay
  • Involve the public – encourage people to be good stewards of the Bay: to speak out, to hold their representatives accountable, to reduce their impact on the Bay

Cleanup of toxic sediments

Toxic sediments in at least eight sites have been cleaned up, but it's never an easy process. Efforts to clean up toxic sediments in San Diego Bay follow a similar pattern: clear evidence of pollution and the polluter are identified; cleanup levels are established by the Regional Water Quality Control Board; a Cleanup and Abatement Order is issued by the RWQCB; the responsible party appeals the Order; EHC intervenes to uphold or strengthen the Order. The polluter spends years fighting the Order. The best cases result in cleanup actually taking place. In the worst case, the toxic sediments around the shipyards, the foot dragging has continued for more than 20 years.

  • Paco Terminals was one of the first advocacy efforts for the Clean Bay Campaign, and its history is included as an example of the watchdogging and advocacy required.
  • 1979-1985: Tons of copper ore spill into San Diego Bay at the 24th Street Marine Terminal in National City due to faulty loading equipment. Levels of ore in sediment reach 50,000-60,000 parts per million.
  • 1986: San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Boards issues a Cleanup Order to reduce copper to 1,000 ppm (10 times above level before spills began).
  • 1988: RWQCB fines Paco $50,000 (reduced from staff's recommended fine of $200,000). EHC protests reduction.
  • 1989: San Diego Unified Port District named as a Responsible Party along with Paco.
  • 1990: Paco files for bankruptcy; is out of bankruptcy by 1991 when it appears that their insurance company may be fiscally responsible for cleanup.
  • 1991: RWQCB goes against advice of its staff and weakens cleanup level to 4,000 ppm.
  • 1992: EHC appeals the revised order and the State Water Resources Board reverses the Regional Board's decision.
  • 1992: Paco and Port unsuccessfully sue the State Board over their decision.
  • 1995: Cleanup to 1000 ppm completed!
  • Convair Lagoon – PCB's were discovered as a result of the State Mussel Watch Program from 1979-1985. In 1986 the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control issued a cleanup and abatement order to Teledyne-Ryan. PCBs entered the Bay through the storm water system; the contamination was found down to a depth of 10 feet. Seven acres of bay sediments were capped in 1986 and RWQCB issued a new order requiring maintenance, monitoring and repair of the cap. In 2004 evidence of new PCB contamination was found and a new Cleanup and Abatement Order was issued. This has not yet been completed. The site is being considered as a depository for contaminated sediments from the current Shipyard Sediment Site.
  • Campbell Shipyard – sediments contaminated with PCBs, copper, zinc, lead, TBT, PAHs, and other petroleum hydrocarbons; cleanup ordered in 1995; cleanup completed in 2003
  • The Blob – an underground plume of petroleum hydrocarbons under downtown San Diego was discovered moving toward the Bay. Unocal, Shell, GTF Frost, Golden West Hotel, CCDC, and Transportation and Leasing Company were determined to be responsible parties. Cleanup ordered in 1990; completed in 1991.

Protection from further contamination requires strong regulations, strict monitoring and enforcement, eliminating or reducing the use of toxic chemicals, education, and cooperation. EHC has consistently advocated for protection through the following actions.

  • Strengthen Regulations: Basin Plan, California's Bay Protection and Toxic Cleanup Program
  • Elimination of toxic pollutants
    • EHC successfully appealed a Waste Discharge Permit for failing to require monitoring of Tributylin Tin (TBT), an extremely toxic product that was used to protect boat bottoms. TBT was subsequently
    • Pollutants entering the bay from the South Bay Power Plant were eliminated after more than 40 years when EHC's efforts to close down the plant succeeded
  • Human health advisories – People need to be informed about the hazards toxic pollution in the Bay can cause. EHC secured the posting of two fish consumption advisories: the first in 1990 and the second in 2006. Now written in English, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese, the County Department of Health Services and the San Diego Unified Port District provide more specific advice in the signs to fishers of the Bay compared to what was originally posted in 1990.
  • Shipyard Pollution Prevention: EHC worked with shipyard workers and a consultant to develop a series of opportunities for consideration by the shipyards.
  • Military: In 2001 EHC worked with Congressman Bob Filner to introduce the Military Environmental Responsibility Act. A field hearing was held in San Diego and people from across the nation testified on the harm military toxics caused in their communities. The legislation was not passed, but brought much needed attention to the many exemptions the Military claimed from environmental regulations.
  • Urban runoff: Recognizing that urban runoff contributes to pollution of San Diego Bay and other water bodies, EHC introduced storm drain stencils in San Diego County with the message "No Dumping – I Live Downstream." Bilingual educational materials were developed as part of our San Diego Bay Watershed Protection program.
  • Integrated Pest Management Program for Port of San Diego. EHC provided technical assistance to the Port in development of an IPM program for the maintenance of their parks and buildings.

Restoration – a vision

Watersheds
As part of EHC's San Diego Bay Watershed Protection Program, we advocated for the restoration of Chollas Creek including removal of concrete channels and returning the creekside to a natural riparian habitat.

South Bay Unit of San Diego National Wildlife Refuge
In June 1999, the South San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge was officially dedicated, the culmination of more than 20-years of work involving a unique partnership among environmental groups, community residents, and local, state, and federal agencies. The refuge initially conserved 2,200 acres of significant habitat, including essential wetlands and mudflats which are home to more than 560 plant and animal species.

EHC's current efforts in South San Diego: (short description of goal with link to expanded info)

Community Planning – insure that the Bayfront Master Plan is implemented

Green Energy/Green Jobs – make certain that the bayfront development utilizes the maximum renewable energy and the highest green building standards

History:

Prior to the 1900's, San Diego Bay was a fertile, shallow bay supporting great biodiversity in its open water, salt marshes and mud flats. Dredging and filling of the Bay, along with development have eliminated over 90% of the mudflats and 78% of the salt marshes. Those that remain are found mostly in South San Diego Bay.

Most of the land surrounding San Diego Bay is controlled by the San Diego Unified Port District or the U.S. military. The last remaining piece of privately owned bayfront property was 125 acres between the Sweetwater Marsh Unit of the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge and a marina/commercial development on Port controlled land to the South. When developers proposed dense commercial and residential development at this site, environmentalists and South Bay residents objected. (read more>)

Sweetwater Marsh Unit of SDNWR: In the late 1970's/early 1980's two projects were proposed that would severely threaten these remaining wetlands habitats: a combined highway/flood control channel along the Sweetwater River that separates National City and Chula Vista, and construction of a 440-room hotel at Gunpowder Point along with high rise residential complexes on the D-Street Fill.

A multi-year legal battle, led by the Sierra Club and League for Coastal Protection, ensued. In 1987 a District Court judge issued a permanent injunction to stop all work, and in 1988 the 315.8-acre Sweetwater Marsh National Wildlife Refuge was created. It is now home to the Chula Vista Nature Center.

South San Diego Bay Unit of SDNWR: The water and land at the far south of the Bay was still unprotected

Pollution Burden:

Pollution in South San Diego Bay has come from the South Bay Power Plant, bayside industries such as Rohr Industries, the nearby Interstate 5, and urban runoff.

EHC's West Chula Vista Leadership Team (links to bio)

Laura Hunter, Associate Director – Clean Bay Campaign

Kayla Race, Policy Advocate, Green Energy/Green Jobs Campaing

West Chula Vista Community Action Team

Relationships to other EHC Efforts (links to other areas of the website)

Regional Transportation

San Diego Port District

San Diego Bay

SBPowerPlant Dirty Energy 940From 1960 until decommissioned in 2010, the South Bay Power Plant’s four generators polluted South San Diego Bay and emitted tons of toxic and greenhouse gases.

Environmental Health Coalition's concern started with the impacts of the power plant on San Diego Bay, but expanded to include air pollution and development of a sustainable energy policy. In 2001, the San Diego Bay Council, comprised of Environmental Health Coalition and six other non-profit organizations, published Deadly Power, A case for eliminating the impacts of the South Bay Power Plant on San Diego Bay and ensuring better environmental options for the San Diego/Tijuana region.

It took another ten years of community organizing and advocacy before we reached the goal of shutting down the power plant.

Current Issues – cleanup and reuse

The South Bay Power Plant occupies 115 acres of bayfront property owned by the Port of San Diego in the City of Chula Vista. Now comes the task of tearing down the 175-foot structure, cleaning up the contamination and restoring the land for future use.  

Chula Vista's Bayfront Master Plan includes this site. 

As part of the Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan Settlement Agreement between the Bayfront Coalition, the San Diego Unified Port District, the City of Chula Vista and the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Chula Vista signed in May 2010, a South Bay Wildlife Advisory Committee (WAG) was formed to advise the Port on the development of a Natural Resources Management Plan.

The WAG seeks to ensure that the precious natural resources including fish, wildlife, invertebrate, plant, and ecosystems of and surrounding the Chula Vista Bayfront are protected enhanced and managed through the preparation, implementation and review of a Natural Resources Management Plan, comprehensive agreements, and other relevant wildlife plans and actions.

In addition to the organizations signing the Settlement Agreement, Other WAG members include the Chula Vista Nature Center – Education and Operations programs; South County Economic Development Council; South Bay Boatworks; Pacifica Companies; Resource Conservation Commission, four residents from the City of Chula Vista; Zoological Society of San Diego; Sportfishing Association of California; San Diego Foundation; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service – Refuges & Ecological Services; National Marine Fisheries Service; Regional Water Quality Control Board, California Department of Fish & Game, California Coastal Commission.

The WAG began meeting in April 2011, with the Port District providing support staff and EHC and Pacifica representatives serving as co-chairs. The Port, with the WAG participating in the interview process, is currently hiring the consultant to develop the NRMP. The consultant will be meeting regularly with the WAG.

More information on the WAG can be found on the Port's website.

Subcategories

san-diego-bay-today

EHC's current efforts in South San Diego

Community Planning – insure that the Bayfront Master Plan is implemented

Green Energy/Green Jobs – make certain that the bayfront development utilizes the maximum renewable energy and the highest green building standards 

History

Prior to the 1900s, San Diego Bay was a fertile, shallow bay supporting great biodiversity in its open water, salt marshes and mud flats. Dredging and filling of the Bay, along with development have eliminated over 90% of the mudflats and 78% of the salt marshes. Those that remain are found mostly in South San Diego Bay.

sbwildlife refugeMost of the land surrounding San Diego Bay is controlled by the San Diego Unified Port District or the U.S. military. The last remaining piece of privately owned bayfront property was 125 acres between the Sweetwater Marsh Unit of the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge and a marina/commercial development on Port controlled land to the South. When developers proposed dense commercial and residential development at this site, environmentalists and South Bay residents objected.

Sweetwater Marsh Unit of SDNWR

In the late 1970s/early 1980s two projects were proposed that would severely threaten these remaining wetlands habitats: a combined highway/flood control channel along the Sweetwater River that separates National City and Chula Vista, and construction of a 440-room hotel at Gunpowder Point along with high rise residential complexes on the D-Street Fill.

A multi-year legal battle, led by the Sierra Club and League for Coastal Protection, ensued. In 1987 a District Court judge issued a permanent injunction to stop all work, and in 1988 the 315.8-acre Sweetwater Marsh National Wildlife Refuge was created. It is now home to the Chula Vista Nature Center.

South San Diego Bay Unit of SDNWR: The water and land at the far south of the Bay was still unprotected

Pollution Burden

Pollution in South San Diego Bay has come from the South Bay Power Plant, bayside industries such as Rohr Industries, the nearby Interstate 5, and urban runoff.

Relationships to other EHC Efforts

Regional Transportation

San Diego Port District

San Diego Bay

Although most of the land surrounding San Diego Bay is under the jurisdiction of public agencies, approximately 125 acres just south of the Sweetwater Marsh National Wildlife Refuge is privately owned.

There have been many proposals to develop this land, the most recent beginning in 2002. The City of Chula Vista gave Pacifica Development Cos. the right to develop the property and they submitted a plan for a high-density housing project called the Bayfront Villages. This proposal included 3,400 housing units in 20-story high rises.

Environmental Health Coalition's 10-year community organizing and advocacy efforts have led to the creation of a Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan that protects the Sweetwater Marsh and greatly reduces the density of development. This will be accomplished through a land swap between the San Diego Port District and the City of Chula Vista.

Background

When Environmental Health Coalition learned of the proposed development, we immediately recognized that this high-density project didn't belong there and started our "Don't Pave Paradise" campaign. In December 2002, a special public meeting was called by the Chula Vista City Council. More than 400 people attended, universally opposing the project.

In January 2003, Pacifica revised its proposal (and changed the name to Bayfront Commons), reducing the number of units from 3,400 to 2,000. Still, this was the wrong proposal for such an environmentally sensitive location. Around same time, the Port was developing its Master Plan for the adjoining Port controlled property. The idea of a land swap between the Port and the Pacifica surfaced at the December hearing. This would allow the developer to construct housing on property further away from the Wildlife Refuge.

Community-driven land use planning

EHC used its community-driven land use model to develop a vision for the Chula Vista Bayfront. It formed a Chula Vista Community Action Team, provided the CAT members with education and resources to develop a vision, actively organized support for the vision, and developed an implementation and monitoring plan. Unlike EHC's other local community planning efforts, the Chula Vista bayfront currently doesn't have a residential section, so members of the CAT were drawn from other Chula Vista neighborhoods. The Bayfront Master Plan was seen as an opportunity to turn the area into a city-wide resource.

Step 1: Create the vision. EHC hired Doug Coe, the director of the San Diego State University Research Laboratory, to conduct a community survey to discover Chula Vistan's view on the development project. The results were released in April: an overwhelming majority of Chula Vista residents opposed high-density housing at the site and showed an overwhelming preference for low levels of development.

EHC's Chula Vista Community Action Team then developed its criteria for bayfront development:

  • Protect wildlife
  • Improve quality of life
  • Employ sustainable development principles
  • Be low density
  • Create good jobs
  • Include appropriate recreational opportunities
  • Focus on transit, not roads
  • Preserve the view of the Bay
  • Protect air and water quality
  • Use the natural beauty of the area as a focus
  • Link to other regional development efforts (Port to south, national city to north, city core to east)

Step 2: Convert the vision into a land use map. The Community Action Team worked with a professional land-use planner to create a map reflecting their vision.

Step 3: Gain community support. From letter writing campaigns to house-to-house canvassing, EHC kept the community informed and involved in the process.

Step 4: Get the process started. In May 2003, EHC published a letter to the editor endorsing joint planning of City and Port for both pieces of property, and in March 2004 the Port, Chula Vista and Pacifica begin a joint planning process.

Step 5: Incorporate the vision into the elements of a new Community Plan. The City and Port established a Community Advisory Committee. The CAC supported a plan that closely reflected the vision developed by the Community Action Team.

Step 6: Gain support of local city council representatives. In March 2004 the Port, Chula Vista and Pacifica begin a joint planning process and in 2004 they approved the Community Advisory Committee's recommended plan.

Step 7: Be persistent. Although the plan was approved in 2004, the difficulties surrounding the land swap greatly slowed down implementation. In 2010, in order to facilitate implementation of the plan, a {tip coalition of environmental and community organizations::Environmental Health Coalition, San Diego Auduon Society, San Diego Coastkeeper, Coastal Environmental Rights Foundations, Southwest Wetlands Interpretative Association, The Surfrider Foundation-San Diego Chapter, and Empower San Diego}coalition of environmental and community organizations{/tip} entered into a settlement agreement with the Port and the City spelling out the conditions for the land swap and future development. These include buffer zones between wildlife areas and development, creation of the South Bay Wildlife Advisory Group to advise in the creation of the Natural Resource Management Plan, and minimum design elements to reduce pollution and energy consumption

Step 8: Coming Soon! Celebrate adoption, but monitor implementation. The Plan and Final Environmental Impact Report are currently being reviewed by the California Coastal Commission. Environmental Health Coalition is a member of the Wildlife Advisory Committee and will continue to monitor the project and its impacts.

Copies of the Chula Vista Master Plan and other documents can be found on the Port's website at http://www.portofsandiego.org/chula-vista-bayfront-master-plan.html