Stopping the Flow of Industrial Chemicals
to the Bay

Baykeeper Holds Industrial Polluters Accountable

There are more than 1,300 industrial facilities within the San Francisco Bay Area that discharge polluted stormwater runoff.  As compared to urban pollution runoff generally, industrial stormwater typically contains much higher concentrations of pollutants such as toxic metals and petroleum hydrocarbons.

Baykeeper has a long history of enforcing the Clean Water Act against industrial facilities, and we currently have five active industrial stormwater consent decrees covering a total of nine facilities. We are also continuing ongoing investigations into industries and facilities producing the most dangerously polluted runoff.

Current and Historic Industry in the Bay Area

The Bay Area’s inner suburbs, particularly in the East Bay and South San Francisco, have a long history of heavy industry. Ship breaking and weapons manufacturing during World War II left a legacy of toxic military sites that are in various stages of remediation. In addition, long-banned toxic pollutants like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent in the environment and continue to wash from unidentified sources into city storm drains many years later. 

Meanwhile, active industries in East Bay and South San Francisco neighborhoods, particularly near the Bay, produce, handle and discharge toxic chemicals and pollution to the Bay, either through direct runoff or through air pollution that settles onto urban surfaces before being washed into the Bay.