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THE SOUNDS OF SALMON SPAWNING on the San Joaquin were once so loud that riverside residents couldn’t sleep at night, according to testimony in a 16- year-old lawsuit to restore flows to the river below the giant Friant Dam. These days, no one has trouble sleeping because there are few fish left. But fishing and conservation groups say the fish can now return, hailing a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence Karlton that found that BurRec has violated state and federal laws by sending most of the river’s water "If you had talked to me about this three to agriculture for the past 50 years. Pandora’s or four years ago, I would have said that it’s Enviros and some water agencies also pre- Cauldron still not an important concern for San dict that greater flows in the river will Francisco Bay," says U.C. Berkeley’s David help improve water quality in the Delta. Sedlak, who is working with U.C. Davis’ For a charm of pow’rful trouble Meanwhile, downstream water users say Bernie May to study fish in the Central Valley the judge misinterpreted Cal Fish & Game like a hell-broth boil and bubble rivers that flow to the Bay. "But then we started looking at some streams in the Code Section 5937, which states that William Shakespeare, MacBeth BurRec must "allow sufficient water to Central Valley and found concentrations of steroid hormones similar to what was com- pass over, around, or through the dam, to From the aspirin we gulp for headaches, keep in good condition any fish that may ing out of wastewater treatment facilities." In to the lotion we smooth on to soothe our streams consisting largely of wastewater, be planted or exist below the dam." skin, to the deodorants and perfumes we Downstream water users claim fish below says Sedlak, the researchers are finding femi- spritz to avoid offending or to attract other nized fish—male fish that are putting their the dam have been maintained in good human beings, to the insect repellant we condition, while enviros point to stretches energy into building female egg sacs. "That coat ourselves with to offend virus-carrying can’t be good at a population level," of the river that are completely dry during mosquitoes, to the sunscreen we apply to certain periods of the year. says Sedlak. stave off cancer, to the myriad Bryan Brooks at Baylor University, pharmaceuticals we take to who is studying wastewater-domi- URBAN CREEKS ARE FOR THE BIRDS— lower blood pressure, regulate nated ephemeral streams in Texas and fish. In a discovery that surprised our hormones, stay happy, or and the arid Southwest, has found even local creek activists, more than 130 rev up our sex lives, our drugs trace amounts of antidepressants in steelhead trout—some at least a foot and "personal care products" fish living in a creek downstream of long—were relocated recently from a seem to be turning up every- a wastewater treatment plant. reach of that is being where in the environment, Brooks is interested in such situa- dewatered for restoration. The restoration often via treated—or some- tions because they are what he calls work on Codornices Creek, which defines times untreated—wastewater. "an excellent example of a worst- the border between Albany and Berkeley, Each year, wastewater treat- case scenario." Closer to the Bay, is part of a larger effort—paid for by ment plants around the Bay while most of our treatment plants grants from CALFED, the State Water discharge approximately 230 discharge directly into the Bay, sev- Resources Control Board, the Coastal million gallons of treated efflu- eral Central Valley streams (some Conservancy, CALTRANS, and a creek ent directly into the Bay, not ephemeral) and rivers receive direct dis- restoration fund passed by voters in including what gets discharged into the charges of treated wastewater. "During the Albany—that will reshape and revegetate Delta and major rivers, according to the S.F. dry season, the only source of flow in a lot of the creek between I-80 and San Pablo Estuary Institute’s Daniel Oros. With our the small creeks and streams tributary to the Avenue. In the long run, the re-vegetated, growing population, increasing volumes of is [treated] wastewater," restored creek should offer better habitat effluent, and new chemicals continually says the Central Valley Regional Board’s for the fish, says project director Drew being introduced to the market, are the Bay Robert Holmes. The City of Vacaville dis- Goetting of the Restoration Design and its tributaries becoming a witch’s brew charges to a creek that flows to the Group. for the critters that live in and around them? Sacramento River, Napa discharges to the Some scientists and resource managers are , Petaluma to the , worried that "feral pharmaceuticals" (over- BUSINESSES NEED TO PAY MORE atten- and Sonoma to , while the-counter and prescription drugs) and per- Stockton and other cities discharge into the tion to water as prices go up, demand for sonal care products—together referred to as urban and agricultural uses increases, , which, though not "PPCPs" for "pharmaceuticals and personal ephemeral, already has considerable water water quality declines, and water care products"—have run amuck and could resources become more limited, accord- quality problems. The City of Brentwood dis- be having impacts we don’t yet understand charges its wastewater into Marsh Creek, ing to Freshwater Resources: Managing the on aquatic and other life forms. Risks Facing the Private Sector, a new which at times, says the Board’s Renand report by the Pacific Institute (August continued - page 5 2004; www.pacinst.org). According to the continued - page 2 VOLUME 13, NO. 5 OCTOBER 2004 2 OCT 2004

For all his passion and work to keep the BULLETIN BOARD CONTINUED PEOPLE Bay vast and clean, Siri’s style was always civil and never strident, says environmental author report, during a recent drought in BAY LOVER’S LEGACY and former S.F. Chronicle environmental India, Pepsi and Coca-Cola bottling reporter Harold Gilliam. "His effort was to Biophysicist Will Siri, build bridges between opposing groups, plants lost their licenses to pump local who frequently trav- groundwater, while Anheuser-Busch, whether they were developers, power com- eled to—and panies or various factions within the environ- the world’s largest beer brewer, found climbed— some of the itself low on barley (a key brewery mental movement. He tried to accommodate highest peaks in the differing interests while acting decisively on ingredient) after water for irrigating world, never lost his the crop was cut back. The report rec- his deeply held convictions about defending love for the lower ele- the natural environment." As a result, says ommends that companies measure vations of the Bay their current water use, assess local Gilliam, Siri held the respect even of those he Area. In a 1960s KQED lobbied against. "By any measure, he rightful- water conditions and risks, consult interview conducted community and other stakeholders, ly belongs in California’s environmental hall after Siri returned from an Everest climb, he of fame." and establish a water policy with clear told anchorman Mel Wax, "No, Mel. goals for reducing energy and water Returning to Bay is never an Siri’s reputation and esteem became invalu- use. anticlimax." able to the growing environmental communi- ty in the mid-1980s. " I start- Siri died in August at the age of 85, after a ed in 1981 needed a name like Will Siri on its WANT TO TRACK wetlands restora- life of research, adventurous climbs, and board to help gain recognition of TBI as a tion projects around the Bay or let activism to protect the Bay. Siri was president major player in Bay issues," says William others know about your project? Visit of from 1968-1988 and vice Davoren, who had admired Siri ever since http://www.wetlandtracker.org, the chairman of the Bay Institute from 1985- that post-Everest KQED interview. Bay Area Wetland Project Tracker cre- 1999. He was also president of the Sierra ated by the S.F. Estuary Institute. The Club from 1964-1966 and a director from Jean Siri says she hopes her husband’s lega- site provides free public access to 1956-1974. cy will be the continued strengthening of information about the location, size, environmental activism in the Bay Area. "You "He was very motivated, very dedicated to just hope that you have motivated a lot of sponsors, habitats, contacts, and sta- working with individuals and organizations to tus of wetland restoration, mitigation, people. You have to leave people who will reverse the damage that had been done by keep working at it, or it will disappear." DO creation, and enhancement projects in filling [and dumping]," says Doris Sloan, who the Bay Area. Planned and completed succeeded Siri as president of Save the Bay. wetland projects are displayed on an Sloan also praised Siri as being vital to the interactive regional map. Summary efforts of Citizens for the Eastshore State Park, SEND information is displayed alongside the which protects more than 1,800 acres of map. More information is found on shoreline between Richmond and Emeryville. YOUR FRIENDS separate project information sheets. AND CO-WORKERS Each project can have files associated Siri worked on the Manhattan Project dur- with it, such as reports, data, photos, ing World War II, but his career at Lawrence ESTUARY NEWSLETTER videos, other maps, or commentary. Berkeley Lab focused on applying physics to FOR FREE! Anyone can submit files and make medicine. While he was 18,000 feet up on a Help us get ESTUARY newsletter to them available for others to down- snowy Everest slope, he used a kind of radia- more people like you!!! load. tion detector to study the effects of high alti- tude on the blood. To expand our readership and meet Siri’s widow, Jean, an East Bay Regional our public outreach goals, we are offering Park District board member and former El ESTUARY FREE for one entire year — 6 Cerrito mayor, says her husband was already issues — to anyone interested in our an ardent conservationist and environmental- newsletter. ist when they met in the 1940s. He likely Please email or fax us the names and inherited his mother’s love of mountains, she addresses of anyone in your organization says. As Richmond—and later El Cerrito—resi- who you know would like to receive it!!!!! dents during the 1960s, the couple became Attn: Feliciana, Estuary Newsletter Free increasingly worried about dumping in the Subscription, fax (510)622-2501 or Bay. Many neighbors saw no problem with [email protected] the influence of heavy industry in the area, but the Siris saw that the region could be transformed for the worse as the Bay became filled in. "The only thing that makes the Bay Area is the Bay," says Jean Siri. "It was just going to be a stinky river, and that doesn’t make the Bay Area a place to live." OCT 3 2004

research on the virus is ongoing, and some ENVIRONMENT additional mosquito species have turned out to be capable of transmitting it. "You could almost BIRDWATCH VIRUS VIGILANCE say that the virus hasn’t found a mosquito it doesn’t like," says County entomolo- DOOMED HARBINGERS? The dreaded West Nile virus finally arrived in gist Bruce Kirkpatrick. California this summer, as scientists predicted it One strategy is to keep water moving. But To some, they’re noisy nuisances, crop- would. By mid-September, California vector raiding pests, omens of misfortune. But to control agencies had reported 486 human infec- Kirkpatrick says that Alameda County, for exam- biologist Carolee Caffrey, American crows tions and 13 fatalities, mostly in Southern ple, has many marshy areas along the Bay with California. Dead birds infected with the virus drainage ditches that need to be kept clear. are "the coolest birds in the world." have been found in all Bay Area counties. On Unfortunately, the vector control district can Caffrey, a National Audubon Society September 16, one human case was reported in only get to 30% or 40% of the ditches each science associate who teaches at the San Jose, and scientists expect to see more year, so stagnant pools form, he says. Santa College of New Jersey, was attracted to human infections in the region soon. Clara County Vector Control District’s Kriss crows by their swagger. She was told no Costa says that tidal marsh gates sometimes fail, one had studied them systematically With the virus upon us, vector control districts causing water to back up and sit. "When that because they were too smart to be are busier than ever trying to reduce mosquito happens, we can get big fly-offs of Aedes populations. And the S.F. Bay Joint Venture squamiger or Aedes dorsalis," she says. caught and tagged. Caffrey developed (SFBJV) is worried that the public may implicate capture techniques, though, and has fol- California’s wetlands as factories for West Nile These saltwater species were not thought to lowed the complex lives of crows for virus-transmitting mosquitoes. carry West Nile Virus, but in September, vector more than 20 years, first in California, control district staff found squamiger mosquitoes then in Oklahoma. Since the advent of Earlier this year, the SFBJV began to prepare infected with the virus in San Luis Obispo. And for a major virus outbreak. It developed a public recent laboratory tests showed dorsalis capable the West Nile virus, she’s also watched communications plan that includes key media of transmitting the virus, although not as effi- them die. messages to help organizations working on wet- ciently as other species. Both types of mosqui- These are no ordinary birds. Long-lived land restoration projects explain why wetlands toes concern scientists because they can fly 20 and behaviorally flexible, crows have are not the main sources of mosquitoes carrying miles, are very aggressive, bite during the day the disease. strong family ties. They may strike out on and breed in such huge numbers that if even a their own but return to visit Mom and One media point is that tidal wetlands breed small percentage carry the virus they could be a Dad, or even move back in with them. few mosquitoes because the moving water problem, says Sonoma/Marin County Mosquito Some adults postpone nesting and help flushes out eggs and larvae. Another is that the and Vector Control District’s Chris Canterbury. their parents rear another brood. They most troublesome mosquito species—i.e., those This news has given vector control district implicated in West Nile—don’t live in tidal play tricks on each other and care for sick staff pause, but even when stagnant water in or injured relatives. And Caffrey is con- marshes: Culex tarsalis lives in fresh or brackish wetlands leads to mosquito breeding, they are water and Culex pipiens thrives in stinky habitats vinced they understand death, and confident that their larvicidal spraying programs mourn their dead. like underground storm drains and sewage work well most of the time. First, technicians treatment plants. Well-designed non-tidal wet- inspect wetland areas for mosquito larvae; then, American crows have been hard hit by land restoration projects, which might be attrac- using an environmentally friendly, narrow-spec- West Nile; laboratory studies documented tive to tarsalis, provide drainage to keep the trum larvicide, they kill mosquitoes before they 100% mortality after infection. Crows and water moving, so they are not good mosquito become biting adults. Kirkpatrick says that in their relatives may be more susceptible habitats either. Finally, a key message is that Alameda County, 10 technicians visit several than other birds. Their sociability favors county vector control districts work hard to pre- sites a day, armed with truck-mounted spray bird-to-bird transmission. (Humans can’t vent both tidal and non-tidal marshes and other machines for large areas, and hand pumps and contract the disease from birds, though.) wetlands like creeks from producing large mos- tiny spritzers for smaller hotspots. To reach deep quito populations. When the virus reached Oklahoma in into wetland areas, they drive spray-rigged 2002, it killed more than a third of According to vector control district staff, how- ATVs, known as "swamp buggies." Caffrey’s study population within two ever, the problem is that it’s hard to control months; an additional two-thirds died the mosquitoes perfectly 100% of the time. Also, continued - back page following year. If resistance is evolving, it’s happening slowly: in two field studies, only 2% to 3% of the birds had West Nile antibodies. How do massive crow die-offs affect ecosystems? "Good question," says Caffrey. "No one really understands the role of crows in ecosystem balance." Farmers may find that these "pests" helped keep harmful insects in check. Contact: Carolee Caffrey, (215)355- 9588 ext. 23 or [email protected] Reproduction of an illustration in an 1888 edition of Drainage Journal Lisa Krieshok showing critters fleeing a drained swamp. JE 4 OCT 2004

to the fastest source of freshwater, Folsom Dam RECYCLING MANAGEMENT on the American River. The result brought dramatic changes on the X2 FRIES FISH HAUTE COMPOST river. In the span of a few days, it went from As water managers and others furrow their having flooded gravel bars and upland river- Bite into that Cherokee Purple tomato brows this fall examining how well the 1995 banks where spawning salmon and steelhead from the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market, Delta Water Quality Control Plan is working, it is trout laid their eggs to rocky, drying banks car- and you close a circle running from San becoming clear that efforts to balance freshwa- peted with a young fish feast for hungry gulls. Francisco’s finest restaurants through a ter and saltwater levels in the Delta sometimes "People say BurRec shouldn’t have waited Solano County composting facility to conflict with the protection of upstream fish. so long to meet the standard, but it had to organic growers and back to urban con- meet it 25 out of 28 days, so there wasn’t sumers. The common thread is Four One water quality standard at issue is known as X2, the theoretical distance from much flexibility there," says Richard Denton of Course Compost, a product of employee- the Contra Costa County Water District. owned Norcal Waste. Every day, 300 tons the at which saltwater from the of plate scrapings and kitchen trimmings Bay meets freshwater from rivers in the Delta. Nonetheless, the wiggle room afforded by from San Francisco and Oakland restau- The goal of X2 is to help Delta fish—particu- the Port Chicago standard is something the rants, including such tony establishments larly smelt—forage and reproduce in freshwa- U.S. EPA’s Bruce Herbold would change. as Farallon and Boulevard, are trucked to ter areas that would otherwise be too salty. Herbold, who developed the X2 standard, is Norcal’s Jepson Prairie Organics plant near To meet this standard, which applies from working with Denton and others on a way to Vacaville. February through June of each year, the State overcome the fluctuations in flows that strand- Water Project and BurRec monitor salinity in the ed fish the last two years. Instead of ramping "San Francisco was the first large up flows down the Delta for a few days to meet American city to establish a city-wide water from the point where the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers meet westward to Suisun the X2 standard—followed by a drastic drop- food-scrap compost program," says off—Herbold and Denton would like to see the Norcal’s Robert Reed. Today it is the largest Bay. If salinity levels rise and move too far into the Delta, officials release more water from flows elevated slightly, but maintained over program in the United States, involving more days to keep levels constant. more than 2,000 restaurants and food- dams or divert less water from the rivers, send- related businesses. Mayor Jerry Brown’s ing more freshwater down the Delta to push "If the water rises once, you don’t want it to interest prompted expansion of the pro- the saltwater out toward the Bay. go down quickly because that disturbs the fish gram to Oakland, where 125 businesses The X2 standard has three compliance as they are spawning," explains Denton. now participate. points—the westernmost at Port Chicago, a The fish strandings have uncovered another Growers appreciate the end product. central one at , and one to the problem in the watershed—the fact that the Chris Simas, who raises 35 tomato vari- east at Collinsville. Of the three, the only one American River has no state-mandated flow eties, stone fruits, citrus, and figs in the with any flexibility is Port Chicago. When standard. Capay Valley, opted for Four Course three there is a lot of water flowing into the Delta Without the flow standard, the river becomes years ago. He’s seeing bigger tomato from the Central Valley’s eight rivers, officials the first source used to meet water quality stan- yields, peaches with a brighter blush, must incorporate the salinity at Port Chicago dards, says Andy Fecko of the State Water Mandarin oranges with better color. Simas into their calculations. When river flows are Resources Control Board. That’s because offi- has also been able to cut back on costly lower, officials can ignore Port Chicago. cials can get water from behind Folsom Dam to fishmeal fertilizer. In 2003, a lot of water came into the Delta the Delta in one day. The result is a river and a Another grower, Nigel Walker of Eatwell from the rivers as a result of the heavy January dam that have very little cool water by late Farms near Dixon, says he’s using less bird rains. The officials were required to meet the summer and early fall, a time when fall-run guano since switching to Four Course. "I Port Chicago standard for X2 in February, but salmon need it. "We hope cooler temperatures don’t like the idea of compost made from decided to wait, thinking rain would come in abound, but we’re always right on the edge in Foster Farms chicken manure," Walker says. February. When February was dry, they were August and September," says Fecko. "We’re trying to make ourselves more sus- stuck with an emergency situation and turned continued - back page tainable, and it makes financial sense for us to do the right thing." He started farming X2 MONITORING STATIONS in an El Niño year and had to pump out his flooded fields, but good compost has Monitoring Station helped his soil absorb more water. Grizzly Along with produce growers, 30 vine- Bay Chipps yards use Four Course compost. Diverting Island S a leftovers from the waste stream pays off in Suisun Collinsville Bay soil and water quality, with a bonus of fine e r Benicia Honker i v Bay S a c R r a m t o Sherman wine and tasty produce. "We’ve demon- e n Island i t strated here that it works," says Norcal’s r a S t e z Reed. C a r q u i n Port Chicago Pittsburg S a n R i v e r Contact: Robert Reed (415)875-1205; J o a q u i n Martinez Chris Simas csimas@farmfreshtoyou; Nigel Walker (800)648-9894 JE OCT 5 2004

CAULDRON CONTINUED effective long-term inhibitors of these pumps; agency is somewhat frustrated. "We don’t Jauregui, is made up almost entirely of they work at very low levels." Epel’s concern know out of all of that suite of chemicals that wastewater. At the south end of the Bay, sev- is that because the musks may be inhibiting [steroid hormones] are the worst. We’re sort eral wastewater plants discharge into sloughs the mussels’ toxin defense system, toxins that of limited to what tools we have to evaluate that lead into the Bay, according to the S.F. would normally be excluded might now get effects. We can only focus in on them with Regional Board’s Tom Mumley. into the cell and cause damage. Says Epel, what tools are available." "This raises the question of whether there are "We used to think that dilution was the Despite all the unknowns, Bay Area other chemicals in the environment that wastewater folks are beginning to take solution," says Brooks. "Now we’re worried might be having similar effects." about the boomerang effect." Brooks wor- some preventive action. Galvanized by the ries about how "pseudo-persistent com- Because the topic of PPCPs is so complex U.S. Geological Survey’s 1999 nationwide pounds like PPCPs" could be affecting (and often confusing), it can be difficult for survey for unidentified organic contami- aquatic organisms. Some critters—especially regulators to know where to begin to try to nants in streams and rivers, the Emerging those downstream of wastewater discharge take action—or to determine whether action Contaminants Working Group (ECWG) and pipes—are continuously exposed to low lev- is needed at all. The Central Valley Regional the Bay Area Pollution Prevention Group els of various chemicals, which could "over- Board, concerned about the findings of femi- (BAPPG) are attempting to come to grips load" their cellular first line of defense, the nized fish, has begun designing an assay for with PPCPs, says the City of Palo Alto’s "efflux pumps" (think of a sort of bilge steroid hormones in fish. But beyond that, Karin North, who is in both groups. ECWG continued - page 6 pump for toxics). U.S. EPA’s Christian the Board’s Robert Holmes admits that his Daughton, a leading researcher in the PPCP field, theorizes that once those "pumps" are overwhelmed, other chemicals might be Counties and cities along the coast are able to make their way past that defense SCIENCESPOT starting to change their practices, says system and cause problems they ordinarily Dugan. WRACK IS BACK wouldn’t. The City of San Diego has stopped One reason we don’t fully understand There’s a name for everything, even the grooming from March to September along what effects we are having on fish and thick tangles of kelp and sea grass that wash a five-mile stretch of beach to avoid killing other critters is that PPCPs affect them dif- up onto beaches and settle in large clumps the eggs laid by grunions, a fish that comes ferently than they do humans. "The recep- along the tide line where they decay and up onto the beach each spring to spawn. tors [in cells] aren’t necessarily the same," attract flies: they’re called beach wrack. Many Leaving beach wrack undisturbed is a per- says Daughton. Plus, he adds, we don’t surf- and sand-lovers have never heard that mit condition for the new emergency sea always even know exactly how drugs work term, but they’ve seen the stuff—and smelled wall at Santa Barbara County’s Goleta in the human body; we often just know it—and prefer their beaches wrack-free. Beach. that they work. Daughton and Thomas That’s why for the past several decades, cities Biologist Jules Evens says, "We’re fortunate Ternes (with the Institute for Water Research along the Southern California coast have sent that most Northern California beaches have and Water Technology in Germany) have tractors out at dawn every day during sum- a hands-off approach." Shorebirds clearly posed the possibility that PPCPs could be mer to rake up the wrack along with the pre- thrive on the invertebrates found in wrack, causing subtle, perhaps invisible, behavioral vious day’s litter. says Point Reyes Bird Observatory’s Nils changes in organisms that, in the long run, But biologists are finding that wrack plays Warnock, who adds, "It’s common to see could have effects at the population level. an important role in beach ecology. An ongo- birds walking along the tide line and tossing Laboratory studies have shown that antide- ing study of more than 40 Southern California the wrack as they look for crustaceans." pressants may delay maturity in mosquito beaches by scientists from U.C. Santa fish and frogs, which could affect their Contact: Jenifer Dugan, Barbara’s Marine Science Institute shows that [email protected]; Nils Warnock, reproduction and survival. Studies have also beaches with lots of wrack have a much shown that antidepressants cause zebra [email protected]; Jules Evens, greater diversity and abundance of intertidal [email protected] SPW mussels to increase their spawning activity. life than beaches without it. Now biologist But quantity may not always be the prob- Jenifer Dugan, who leads the study, is letting lem. Even minuscule concentrations of cer- other scientists, beach managers and the pub- Drawing by Karina Racz tain chemicals can bioaccumulate, says lic know about the study’s findings. Courtesy of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Daughton. For example, researchers suspect It turns out that beach wrack sup- that chemicals in sunscreens are bioconcen- ports an intricate food web. Dugan trating in fish in German lakes, while musks says that wrack is home to several (from perfumes, deodorants, fabric soften- species of beach hoppers, tiny crus- ers, and detergents, among others) are taceans that feed on the wrack, and building up in the tissues of mussels. to numerous beetles, isopods, and Stanford professor David Epel has found flies—these creatures are treats for that musk compounds are interfering with shorebirds like sandpipers, plovers, the cellular pumps that normally kick out tox- and sanderlings. Wrack also helps ins in Monterey Bay mussels. "Whether anchor beach sand, which provides they’re doing that in nature, we’re not sure more stability and nutrients for dune yet. But we’re finding that the musks are plants. 6 OCT 2004

CAULDRON CONTINUED says that when her agency upgraded its plants to better remove ammonia, waste- gathers the latest research and disseminates water ended up with a longer residence time WETLANDS it to wastewater treatment agencies around in the plants, which ended up breaking the Bay, while the BAPPG has started, down more organic pollutants. "The one SUTRO BIRD BATHS through North, to work with local hospitals thing we noticed in particular was surfactants San Francisco’s once- and hospices to encourage them to use best in detergents," says Heil. Reverse osmosis also glamorous Sutro Baths may be in ruins, management practices when disposing of removes many of the large-molecule PPCPs, but the birds and ducks that frequent the pharmaceuticals. For example, instead of but it is expensive (although less so if it is not cove overlooking the baths don’t seem to overfilling a syringe, tapping it for air bub- being used to remove salts), and there is still notice. They are thriving in an eight-acre bles, and disposing of the a waste disposal issue—the urban oasis that includes a marsh and remainder down a sink drain, membranes themselves and brackish lagoons formed where crum- hospital workers are being a leftover stream of dirty bling bathhouse foundations trap seawa- encouraged to put the leftover “We don’t want water. Heil says other ter. Golden Gate Audubon’s Alan Hopkins drugs in hazardous waste recep- options might include UV or is concerned that invasive plants are tak- tacles. But a broader public edu- to say the sky ozone treatment, both of ing over the marsh, however, and that cation effort is needed, say which are less costly than the lagoons are filling up with silt. The North and Daughton. In addi- is falling reverse osmosis. (But area should be restored, he says, both to tion to humans excreting or Daughton points out that provide a higher-quality habitat for washing PPCPs off their bodies, if it isn’t, both UV and ozone treat- wildlife and to showcase the wetland for the most common route into ments tend to create numer- the 1.5 million folks who visit the adja- wastewater is people flushing but we don’t ous oxidation products, cent Cliff House and the Sutro Historic medications down the toilet. thereby increasing the num- District each year. One solution to the flush want to sit ber of chemicals present.) But Golden Gate National Recreation problem would be pharmaceuti- Ultimately, says Heil, her Area’s Rich Weideman says that the proj- cal take-back programs—like around agencies believe source con- ect is low on the group’s priority list. "We those implemented in several trol is cheaper than retro- don’t have the staff time or money to do European countries, Australia, twiddling fitting plants, and they have all that we’d like to. We choose projects and Canada. Maine recently leg- been discussing take-back by advantages," he explains, "and the islated creation of a drug mail- our thumbs programs with pharmacies: marsh and lagoons are not significant back program in which people her agencies would fund the according to our criteria because they’re are given envelopes they can use while the farm programs and pick up the manmade, and they don’t have listed to send their unused drugs to returned drugs. But while species needing protection. Also, the the Drug Enforcement burns down she believes in taking pre- area’s invasives don’t pose a fire hazard Administration (the only end- ventive measures, Heil, too, or compromise visitor safety." point in the United States con- wants to see more research sidered legal). In the Bay Area, around us on the topic. "Before we Ecologist Peter Baye says that because take-back programs are piloting take really big expensive there are no listed species and because in Marin County and under con- either.” steps, let’s try to get some the cove area is small, restoring or just sideration in San Francisco and idea of how much of a sub- improving it would be easy and inexpen- Palo Alto, according to North. stance in a water body is a sive. He says, "The Cliff House attracts a Daughton predicts that as water supplies problem. We still don’t know the target yet, lot of people who wouldn’t normally seek and that’s what makes it really difficult. If it out wetlands or learn about how impor- become scarcer and recycled wastewater eventually begins to be used directly for can be done for a reasonable price, most tant they are, so it’s a real opportunity. people are willing to pay for cleaner water." Golden Gate Recreation would get more drinking water, the general public will public benefit from each dollar spent become more concerned about the issue. The Some of these uncertainties may be there than with most of their projects." presence of even minute residues of excreted addressed with additional research and better drugs will remind people of where their water technology. "It’s a matter of understanding He adds that visitors could see a "dis- originated, says Daughton. He also thinks the complexities of an ecological system and tinctive combination of geology, ground- that, instead of taking a chemical-by-chemical where its vulnerabilities are," says Daughton. water, and coastal processes." They approach to assessing risks associated with "Once you understand it, you can probably would also find native birds like white- wastewater, we may need to take a more design a sustainable lifestyle." Due to crowned sparrows, black phoebes, and holistic approach: measuring and assigning advances in drug design and manufacturing, goldfinches, says Hopkins. "People should toxicity based on the total amount of chemi- he says, it’s likely that pharmaceutical compa- have the chance to see spectacular native cals in wastewater that share the same "mode nies will begin developing new drugs with plants like lupine, lizard tail, and yarrow of action," or way of working—without know- smaller amounts of active ingredients, reduc- in the marsh," he says and adds, "These ing exactly what the individual chemicals are. ing the overall quantity of chemicals that plants are as much a part of San In the meantime, could—or should—our make their way into the environment—one Francisco’s culture as the Museum of of many aspects that would make up what Modern Art or Coit Tower." treatment plants be doing a better job at removing these contaminants? Ann Heil with he calls "the sustainable green pharmacy." In Contact: Alan Hopkins, the County Sanitation Districts continued - back page (415)664-0983; Rich Weideman, (415)561-4730 SPW OCT 7 PLACES TO GO & 2004 THINGS TO DO TALKS INPRINT NOW &ONLINE WORKSHOPS & SEMINARS Aquatic Protected Areas as Fisheries Management OCT FLUIDS AND FAULTING: WATER Tools. J. Brook Shipley, ed. August 2004. TUES AND EARTHQUAKES IN CALIFORNIA http://64.224.98.53/publications/catbooks/x54042.shtml OCT 2004 WATER QUALITY CONFERENCE TOPIC: Lecture by Mark Zoback, professor WEDS - FRI TOPICS: Perchlorate, pharmaceuticals, 12 of geophysics, . Part of EIS/EIR. August 2004. disinfection byproducts, arsenic, and the California Colloquium on Water. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 27 radon; features leading specialists in the LOCATION: U.C. Berkeley www.southbayrestoration.org/Bair-EIR-EIS.html THRU fields of research, treatment technolo- SPONSOR: California Water Resources gies, health effect issues, regulations, California Performance Review Chapter 5: Resource Center Archives Conservation and Protection. 2004. policy, and finance. (510)642-2666; California Performance Review. 29 LOCATION: Ontario, Calif. [email protected] www.report.cpr.ca.gov/cprrpt/issrec/res/index.htm SPONSORS: East Valley Water District, http://lib.berkeley.edu/WRCA/ccow.html Water Education Foundation & others California Watershed Assessment Manual [DRAFT]. Jo McAndrews NOV WHEN MYTH TRUMPS HISTORY: September 2004. California Watershed Assessment [email protected] or Manual team. Public review copy. Comments accepted TUES THE RECLAMATION BUREAU AND (951)787-9267 THE FAMILY FARM, 1902-1935 until Oct. 31, 2004. www.eastvalley.org/wqc04/wqc04_sponsor.shtml 9 TOPIC: Lecture by Donald Pisani, Merrick http://cwam.ucdavis.edu Professor of History, University of Oklahoma. Climate Change in California: Choosing Our Future. BAY PLANNING COALITION Part of the California Colloquium on Water. OCT September 2004. Union of Concerned Scientists. THURS EDUCATIONAL SEMINAR LOCATION: U.C. Berkeley www.climatechoices.org TOPIC: Experts discuss current Bay Area SPONSOR: California Water Resources 28 water recycling challenges and obstacles. Center Archives Energy Down the Drain: The Hidden Costs of LOCATION: Oakland (510)642-2666; California’s Water Supply. SPONSOR: Bay Plan. Coalition & others [email protected] August 2004. Natural Resources Defense Council. Gary Oates (415)896-5900; Eric Hinzel http://lib.berkeley.edu/WRCA/ccow.html www.nrdc.org/water/conservation/edrain/contents.asp (415)243-2507 Freshwater Resources: Managing the Risks Facing the WATER FOLLIES: DEC Private Sector. THIRD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE TUES THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES NOV September 2004. Pacific Institute. MON - WEDS ON INVASIVE SPARTINA OF GROUNDWATER PUMPING www.greenbiz.com/toolbox/reports_third.cfm?LinkAdvID= TOPICS: Integrating the science and TOPIC: Lecture by Robert Glennon, Morris 7 53409 8 management of invasive Spartina. K. Udall Professor of Law & Public Policy, THRU Conference will also showcase the work University of Arizona. Part of the California Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Alert System. of the U.C. Spartina Research Team. Colloquium on Water. September 2004. U.S. Geological Survey. SPONSORS: S.F. Bay-Delta Science LOCATION: U.C. Berkeley http://nas.er.usgs.gov/AlertSystem 10 Consortium, California State Coastal SPONSOR: California Water Resources Conservancy, U.S. EPA & U.C. Davis Center Archives Overview of Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta www.spartina.org/2004conference (510)642-2666; Water Quality Issues. [email protected] G. Fred Lee & Associates, June 2004. NOV 14TH ANNUAL CALIFORNIA http://lib.berkeley.edu/WRCA/ccow.html http://www.members.aol.com/apple27298/Delta-WQ-

THURS FRI WATER POLICY CONFERENCE IssuesRpt.pdf TOPIC: The best and brightest from all Pulse of the Estuary 2004. 2004. perspectives in the state will argue, clari- 18 S.F. Estuary Institute. fy, distinguish, and advance potential solutions to the problems facing the MONEY www.sfei.org/rmp/pulse/POE2004.pdf 19 future of water. LOCATION: Los Angeles $ SPONSORS: Metropolitan Water NOV CALIFORNIA BAY-DELTA AUTHORITY District; East Bay Municipal Utility FRI ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION PROGRAM District; BurRec and others; and consult- HOTOFF DEADLINE: FRIDAY, NOV. 19, 2004 ing firms The California Bay-Delta Authority’s THEPRESSES: www.cawaterpolicy.org 19 Ecosystem Restoration Program (ERP) is Debbi Dodson [email protected] or seeking applications for projects that will The latest science, politics, and (858)272-9627 monitor and evaluate ecosystem restoration actions, or groups of restoration actions, restoration progress around the Bay. NOV ACWA 2004 FALL CONFERENCE previously funded through ERP solicitation State of the Estuary Report: Proceedings of the

TUES - FRI AND EXHIBITION processes or by directed actions. The geo- October 2003 State of the Estuary Conference. TOPIC: California’s Water Workout: Who graphic area of interest is California’s 2004. S.F. Estuary Project. 30 Will Do the Heavy Lifting? Sacramento and San Joaquin watersheds (510)622-2321; LOCATION: Palm Springs and the S.F. Estuary. [email protected], or THRU send $5 per copy for SPONSOR: Assoc. of Cal Water Agencies Helpline (877)408-9310 DEC http://calwater.ca.gov/Solicitation/ERP_Solicitation.s shipping and handling (916)441-4545 (payable to the Friends of html www.acwanet.com/events/FC04_conference.asp the Estuary) to: 3 S.F. Estuary Project 1515 Clay Street, #1400 Oakland, CA 94612 OCT 8 2004

CAULDRON CONTINUED X2 CONTINUED VIRUS CONTINUED any event, drug companies should share in Fecko and others believe that a flow Technicians agree that controlling the cost of take-back programs, say North standard for the American River will force mosquitoes in wetlands is easier than and others. Eventually, legislation may be state and federal water officials to plan fur- getting a handle on residential breeding passed requiring such a cost-share. ther ahead and potentially use other areas. "I worry more about the backyard Nonetheless, pharmaceutical companies sources, Shasta and Oroville, perhaps, mosquito sources like abandoned pools continue to design yet new drugs—which where it takes four days or so for water to because we don’t even know they’re use new modes of action and possibly reach the Delta. there unless someone calls," says the even genetically altered plant material—so "A flow standard like that provides assur- City of Albany’s Dan Wilson. the challenge of staving off unforeseen ance that down the line, through the years, "Mosquito prevention in wetland trouble appears likely to continue. the river will be protected," says Leo areas works because we stay at it con- Says Heil, "Right now, we’re in a really Winternitz of the Water Forum. stantly; it’s like housecleaning," says the difficult place. We’ve identified a potential Winternitz, along with Denton and Santa Clara Valley Vector Control problem, but we don’t know how bad it is. Herbold, is working on a report on X2’s District’s Dan Strickman. "And we have We don’t want to say the sky is falling if it impacts on the American River and ways to to remember that with wetland restora- isn’t, but we don’t want to sit around twid- minimize them while maintaining water tion projects, the sum total for human dling our thumbs while the farm burns quality. Their report, along with reports by health is very positive. Mosquito abate- down around us either." water contractors and other state and fed- ment costs are just the price we pay for these benefits." Contacts: Christian Daughton eral water agencies, will go before the [email protected]; Bryan Brooks State Board this fall as the agency holds a Contacts: Chris Canterbury [email protected]; David Sedlak series of public hearings to decide whether [email protected]; [email protected]; David Epel and how to modify the Water Quality Bruce Kirkpatrick (510)783-7744; [email protected]; Karin North Control Plan. See www.waterrights.ca.gov/ Dan Strickman (408)792-5542 SPW (650)494-7629; Ann Heil (562)699-7411; baydelta. Daniel Oros, [email protected] LOV Contacts: Andy Fecko (916)341-5393; Richard Denton (925)688-8187 KC

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ESTUARY is a bimonthly publication dedicated to providing an independent news source on Bay-Delta water issues, estuarine restoration efforts and implementation of the S.F. Estuary Project’s Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP). It seeks to represent the many voices and viewpoints that contributed to the CCMP’s development. ESTUARY is funded by individual and organizational subscriptions and by grants from diverse state and federal government agencies and local interest groups. Administrative services are provided by the S.F. Estuary Project and Friends of the S.F. Estuary, a nonprofit corporation. Views expressed may not necessarily reflect those of staff, advisors or committee members.