Cleaning Up Sewage in the Bay

The Problem of Sewage Contamination in the Bay

Raw sewage is a significant source of pollution to San Francisco Bay. Wastewater from sewage treatment plants contains dangerous pathogens that can sicken Bay wildlife and local residents, and discharges often include toxic pollutants like mercury and industrial chemicals. Unfortunately, the treatment plants and sewer systems that discharge to our local waterways are in very poor condition – most are aging, over capacity and prone to leaks and overflows.

Many Bay Area sewer systems were constructed more than 100 years ago and have been largely neglected ever since. During the rainy season, large amounts of rainwater seep into the sewer systems through the crumbling pipes, swelling the volume of waste flowing into treatment plants; this increased flow can overwhelm treatment plant capacity, causing hundreds of millions of gallons of untreated sewage to be discharged into local watersheds.

In winter 2009, more than 2 million gallons of sewage spilled or was discharged into the San Francisco Bay. Read about major spills in Marin and in Richmond.

Baykeeper's History of Stopping Sewage Dumping Into the Bay

Baykeeper has been working for more than ten years to eliminate sewage and industrial wastewater discharges from the San Francisco Bay. In the last few years, Baykeeper successfully leveraged sewage infrastructure upgrades in the cities of Vallejo and Richmond – two of the worst sewage polluters to the Bay – and is currently working with the East Bay Municipal Utilities District to improve systems in East Bay cities. Unfortunately, there are a number of additional sewage offenders in the Bay Area, and Baykeeper will continue pressing local cities to comply with clean water laws and put an end to sewage spills.

Baykeeper's Sick of Sewage Initiative

After more than a decade of efforts to stop sewage spills in the Bay Area, Baykeeper has launched a Sick of Sewage Initiative to rein in the Bay’s sewage spill problem. The Sick of Sewage Initiative tackles both immediate sewage spill incidents and the systemic problem of inadequate sewage infrastructure in Bay Area communities, through investigative water quality monitoring, legal action, advocacy for new laws and public education. Baykeeper is holding the worst polluters accountable and advocating for a region-wide upgrade to sewer systems in the Bay Area to keep sewage out of our homes, streets, creeks and the Bay. Read more about our Sick of Sewage Initiative.