Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
April 1, 2009
3. Watersheds –
Concerns raised about coastal levels of flame-retardant chemicals
The
Obama signs landmark wilderness bill; key California
The
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Concerns raised about coastal levels of flame-retardant chemicals
U.S. study finds widespread, high concentrations near Southern California and Chicago, as well as
The
By Tony Perry
Flame-retardant chemicals that have been linked to reproductive and neurological problems in animals have seeped into coastal environments even in remote regions and have been found in high concentrations off populated areas such as Chicago and Southern California, a federal study revealed Tuesday.
"This is a wake-up call for Americans concerned about the health of our coastal waters and their personal health," said John H. Dunnigan, assistant administrator of the National Ocean Service, a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which released the report.
The study, part of the Mussel Watch Program, was the most comprehensive look at the nationwide presence of chemicals called polybrominated diphenyl ethers, used in a variety of commercial goods since the 1970s as a fire retardant.
High levels of the chemicals were found in sediment and shellfish samples in areas including the Pacific Northwest's Puget Sound; the Tampa-St. Petersburg,
The new report builds on a 1996 study that reported levels of the chemicals in limited areas.
The chemicals are credited with saving hundreds of lives each year from the spread of fire, federal scientists said Tuesday in announcing the study's results. But studies on animals have shown that flame retardants can cause thyroid hormone disruption and interfere with developing reproductive and nervous systems.
The chemicals enter the environment through runoff, improper disposal of household and electronic waste, and through sewage sludge. The chemicals also appear to be airborne.
"Action is needed to reduce the threats posed to aquatic resources and human health," Dunnigan said.
Production of the chemicals has been banned in several European and Asian countries. Eleven states in the
Steve Weisberg, executive director of the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, hailed the federal study for helping to frame the issue of public health and "emerging contaminants."
Weisberg's agency, a joint-powers arrangement among 14 public agencies involved with water issues, has a partnership with the NOAA to study the chemicals' effect on mammals. The concern among scientists is that the chemicals may have reached the food chain in large quantities.
Preliminary studies suggest that pregnant women and their fetuses may be particularly susceptible to damage. The chemicals have been found in breast milk. But federal scientists have yet to determine at what level the chemicals pose a health threat.
Last year, a research team that included scientists from UC Berkeley found that Californians have more of the chemicals in their blood and in their homes than any other group in the country.
Levels in children exceeded those in their mothers, the study found.
High levels have also been found in the eggs of urban peregrine falcons near Los Angeles, Long Beach and San Francisco, according to a study released last year.#
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-flame-retardants1-2009apr01,0,5394842.story?track=rss
Obama signs landmark wilderness bill; key California
The
By Paul Rogers
In one of the first major environmental acts of his presidency, President Barack Obama on Monday signed a far-reaching measure to provide wilderness protection to 2.1 million acres of federal land and restore salmon to
The law will put billions of gallons of fresh water back into the river, potentially improving drinking water quality for large sections of the Bay Area, including
"This legislation guarantees that we will not take our forests, rivers, oceans, national parks, monuments, and wilderness areas for granted," Obama said at a White House ceremony. "But rather we will set them aside and guard their sanctity for everyone to share."
The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, co-written by Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Sen. Barbara Boxer, is the largest wilderness preservation bill since President Clinton signed the Desert Protection Act in 1994.
With Obama's signature, wilderness designation was extended to roughly 750,000 acres of federally owned land in
In wilderness areas, people are allowed to hike, ride horses, camp, hunt and fish. But logging, mining, building roads and riding mountain bikes is banned in such areas. Roughly 109 million acres — or 5 percent of the
All of the wilderness areas in Monday's 1,200-page bill are already located in national parks, national forests or land owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Across many national forests and BLM property, logging, mining and road building is commonplace.
The lands are located in nine states. Outside
More than 1,000 miles of rivers in nearly a dozen states also were designated as "wild and scenic," meaning no dams can be built on them.
The bill cleared the Senate 77-20, and 285-140 in the House. Some Republicans opposed it, saying it placed too many restrictions, particularly oil drilling, on rural landscapes. Portions of the bill had been blocked in recent years under the Bush administration.
Of particular interest Monday in
The river runs 350 miles from the Sierra south of
But in 1944 the federal government built Friant Dam, near
In 1988, environmentalists sued, arguing the diversions violated endangered species laws. The case dragged on for 18 years.
Faced with a federal judge deciding how much water the farmers would be forced to return to the river, farm groups, environmentalists and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation agreed in 2006 that farmers will take about 18 percent less water. That will return roughly 200,000 acre feet to the river, starting in 2014.
The new law authorizes $400 million from farm water fees and state bond money to restore levees and remove fish barriers in the river, and to provide farmers cheaper water in wet years that they can bank underground to help make up the difference.
"Some of the farmers are opposed to the settlement, but other than going back to court there has been no alternative, so most of them support it," said Ron Jacobsma, general manager of the Friant Water Users Authority, a group of 20 irrigation districts representing 15,000 farmers who depend on the river's water.
Environmentalists see it as a rare chance at rebirth.
"This is taking what many have said is a dead river, and bringing it back to life for over 150 miles," said Monty Schmitt, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council in San Francisco.
Within a decade, some salmon should start to slowly return, said Peter Moyle, a biologist at the University of California-
Although nobody knows the exact impacts yet, Silicon Valley draws half its drinking water from the delta, and putting billions of gallons of freshwater back each year will help dilute pesticides, fertilizer, salt and other impurities there, potentially reducing treatment costs in
"The better the water quality in the delta, that translates to improved water quality here," said Susan Siravo, a spokeswoman for the Santa Clara Valley Water District.#
http://www.mercurynews.com/localnewsheadlines/ci_12032734?source=rss
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