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1. What is the Working Waterfront Group doing to promote the health of the Bay? 
The businesses of the Working Waterfront have implemented pollution prevention, stormwater management, air emission reduction and recycling programs. Pacific Ship Repair, for example, regularly educates their employees about the importance of keeping Chollas Creek clean, which includes a gang box training titled, “Chollas Creek, Storm Water Pollution Prevention, What goes into a Storm Drain...” Pacific Ship Repair also closely monitors storm water levels when it rains to ensure that they are not polluting the creek. They also conduct monthly inspections of the yard to ensure that all storm drains are clean and that the yard is free of oil and other contaminants that could potentially end up in the storm water. General Dynamics NASSCO (National Steel and Shipbuilding Company) is located at the mouth of Chollas Creek and is dedicated to protecting this natural resource, which has been adversely impacted by the illicit dumping of trash and debris and pollution from storm water run-off. The NASSCO Chollas Creek Cleanup Committee (NC4) conducts three cleanups per year -- Earth Day Creek-to-Bay Cleanup in association with I LOVE A CLEAN SAN DIEGO (ILACSD) in April; Operation Clean Sweep, in association with the San Diego Port Tenants Association in June; and California Coastal Cleanup Day, also in association with I LOVE A CLEAN SAN DIEGO in September. Additionally, NASSCO serves on the Groundwork Chollas Steering Committee, a grassroots campaign to restore the entire length of Chollas Creek from Lemon Grove to San Diego Bay. Partners on this project include the Sierra Club and the National Park Service. In conjunction San Diego Port Tenants Association, the Working Waterfront also sponsors the annual Operation Clean Sweep. Hundreds of volunteers beautify the tidelands by removing litter from the shore while military and civilian divers sweep the floor of the Bay.
2. Which San Diego Bay animals are endangered? A: There are currently two federally listed endangered animal species residing in the San Diego Bay area.
The breeding season of the least tern runs from April to August and they typically nest in colonies on sandy beaches from Santa Barbara to San Diego. The Port of San Diego, administrator of the Working Waterfront Group, has implemented the Endangered Species Management Program which provides enhanced nesting and foraging opportunities. This ongoing program includes controlling access to nesting sites; site preparation and vegetation control; predator control, ant predator control; public information programs, and monitoring programs. Nesting sites on Port tidelands include the D Street Fill, Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve, and the South Bay Salt Works. In another conservation effort, the U.S. Navy, the Marine Corps and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have teamed up to manage a large number of California least tern populations breeding on military lands. Because they tend to be located on remote beaches that are off-limits to the public, naval bases and training centers have become refuges for these endangered birds. Cooperation among these government agencies to minimize human impact within these sites have resulted in a dramatic recovery of tern populations--which climbed from a low of 600 breeding pairs in 1970 to 2,300 pairs in 1993. Today, over one-third of California least tern populations breed on Navy and Marine Corps bases. – Pacific Bioversity Institute. The Port of San Diego is working with the Zoological Society of San Diego to monitor the California least tern. More information on our California least tern program is available here.
The greatest cause of decline in green turtle populations is commercial harvest for eggs and food. Other turtle parts are used for leather and jewelry, and sometimes small turtles are stuffed for curios. Incidental catch during commercial shrimp trawling is a continuing source of mortality that adversely affects recovery. – National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration The southern portion of San Diego Bay supports a year-round population of turtles, which can often be seen foraging in eelgrass beds throughout the south Bay. During breeding season, the turtles may migrate to nesting sites off the coast of Mexico. San Diego Bay provides protected foraging habitat for green turtles and is a prime study area for turtle researchers. In fact, the largest Eastern Pacific Green sea turtle ever recorded lives in San Diego Bay. The turtle, affectionately known as “Wrinklebutt” due to the unique deformity of her shell, weighs in at a hefty 550 pounds. Conservation efforts for this magnificent species include a partnership between the Port of San Diego, Pro Penninsula, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Grupo Tortuquero and Duke Energy to bring a unique field-based education program to 6th grade students who are given the opportunity to observe NOAA scientists in action as they study the sea turtles that live in San Diego Bay at the Duke Energy research site. The students are exposed to an international conservation effort and learn why scientific research and community activism go hand-in-hand when protecting natural resources, wildlife and habitats. The Port of San Diego is working with the Wildcoast International Conservation Group and NOAA to track the East Pacific green sea turtles and educate school children both here and in Baja about this endangered species. More information on the green sea turtle is available.
3. How is the water quality monitored in San Diego Bay? Assembly Bill 411 (AB 411) was passed in 1997 and requires the testing of public beaches and the notification of the public when high levels of bacteria are discovered. The San Diego County Department of Environmental Health (DEH) presently tests the San Diego Bay beaches on a weekly basis from April 1 - October 31. Beach closure information is provided for all eight of the San Diego Bay beach locations and is updated weekly after every DEH sampling event. Typical monitoring process may occur as follows: 1. Trained staff collect water samples in sterile bottles according to specific guidelines. 2. Sampling staff wade into the surf zone and collect water using a long pole with a sample bottle attached to the end 3. The sample bottles are immediately capped and placed into an ice chest for preservation. 4. The time, date, weather conditions, and location of collection are recorded on a log sheet. 5, State health care agencies review the results of these tests, and if the data indicate a problem, posts an advisory or closes the beach depending on the extent of the problem. Signs are posted near the location where the contamination was detected so that you will know that it is not safe to swim. When the results of testing indicate a contamination problem, the responsible agency may increase the sampling frequency until the contamination dissipates or the source point is determined. 4. How does most of the trash get into the Bay? Most trash in the Bay enters via the storm water system. By taking a few simple steps, such as throwing all trash into the proper receptacles found around the Bay or holding on to trash until a receptacle can be found, everyone can greatly reduce the amount of trash in the Bay. Cigarette butts are the most littered item found in the United States and around the world, and San Diego is no exception. Due to smoking bans inside public places in California and other states, over 99 percent of cigarettes are now smoked outside. A direct increase in the effects to the environment has been seen. Cigarette butts thrown onto streets and sidewalks get pushed into storm drains, which flow to creeks, rivers, and eventually the Bay. Once submerged in water, toxic chemicals from cigarette smoke found in cigarette filters are released, threatening water quality and marine life. Cigarette butts thrown into the environment have also been linked to fires and are especially dangerous during dry weather. The Surfrider Foundation, I Love a Clean San Diego , the American Heart Association, California Highway Patrol (CHP), San Diego Fire Department, and other organizations have gotten together to crack down on cigarette butts in the environment. Through a program called 'Hold On To Your Butt', people can call 1-800-NOSMOKE and report drivers throwing cigarette butts out their windows. The CHP will then send a warning letter to the offender. With the help of concerned citizens and programs like these the amount of trash entering the Bay can be reduced. 5. What can I do to protect the Bay? The easiest way to protect the health of the bay is to make sure that all of your trash gets in the proper receptacle. Litter thrown on the streets as far away as Descanso will eventually make its way in to the San Diego Bay because it is the Bay watershed, a 415 square mile area that is home to all of the creeks and rivers that feed into the Bay. There are also ways San Diegans can help undo the damage of Bay pollution. San Diego Port Tenants, San Diego Baykeeper and I Love a Clean San Diego each host bay cleanup events throughout the year. More information can be found at their websites or by calling the organization. San Diego Port Tenants Association - "Operation Clean Sweep" (619) 226-6781 6. What areas of the county are in the San Diego Bay watershed? The headwaters of the watershed being in the unincorporated area of the County and then transects all or portions of 7 cities, namely, San Diego, National City, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, Coronado, Lemon Grove, and La Mesa. Nearly half of the population of San Diego County lives and works in the San Diego Bay Watershed. And most of these people live and work in close proximity to San Diego Bay itself - certainly one of the finest natural resources in the region, the State, and the nation. The San Diego Bay watershed is comprised of 3 hydrologic units: the Pueblo San Diego, Sweetwater, and Otay hydrologic units (see map). Watershed management planning is a concept gaining hold throughout the San Diego region. It involves the identification of issues and concerns that are related more to the watershed in which they occur, rather than the municipality in which they are found. Watershed management planning is based on the recognition that problems that originate upstream are generally carried down-stream by the flow of water. Such planning considers everything from the transport of water pollutants to invasive species eradication efforts. It is more effective to cleanup problems up-stream at the source, rather than allow the flow of water to spread the problem down-stream for the length of the watershed. |
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