On March 14, 2012, the San Diego Water Board ordered multiple entities to clean 21 acres of contaminated sediment along the San Diego Bay by adopting a Cleanup and Abatement Order.
“ This project is the largest single sediment cleanup project ever undertaken in San Diego Bay and is an important component in protecting water quality in our region ,” said James Smith, Assistant Executive Officer . “The San Diego Water Board expects that compliance with this Cleanup and Abatement Order will restore and protect beneficial uses of San Diego Bay for aquatic life, aquatic dependent wildlife and human health uses.”
The site of the 21-acre bay cleanup has a history of ship building and repair. It is adjacent to properties leased by BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair and the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in the area north of Sampson Street. The following entities are named in the Cleanup Order: BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair, Campbell Industries, the City of San Diego, the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego Gas and Electric Company (SDG&E), the San Diego Unified Port District and the United States Navy.
Within 90 days, the dischargers are required to submit a remedial action plan to the San Diego Water Board for its consideration and possible approval. The proposed project will employ technology that minimizes impacts to water quality, engineered structures to protect water quality during the cleanup, and environmental monitoring during all project phases to ensure that the public and wildlife are protected and that the cleanup is successful. Approximately 164,910 cubic yards of wastes, (which would cover the length of 30 football fields at a depth of three-feet) will be treated and disposed of at a properly-permitted landfill. The Responsible Parties estimate it will to take up to three years to complete the cleanup and the total cost could reach $70 million.
The San Diego Water Board protects and restores water quality in the southwest portion of the State, including parts of San Diego, Riverside, and Orange Counties.
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Dredging Today Staff, March 16, 2012; Image: resonant