In February, EPA’s Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld finalized EPA’s decision and approved a state proposal to ban all sewage discharges from large cruise ships and most other large ocean-going ships into state marine waters all along California’s 1,624 mile coast—from Mexico to Oregon and surrounding major islands. Last month’s action establishes a new federal regulation banning even treated sewage from being discharged in California’s marine waters.
Published: March, 2012
In February, EPA’s Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld finalized EPA’s decision and approved a state proposal to ban all sewage discharges from large cruise ships and most other large ocean-going ships into state marine waters all along California’s 1,624 mile coast—from Mexico to Oregon and surrounding major islands. Last month’s action establishes a new federal regulation banning even treated sewage from being discharged in California’s marine waters.
"This is an important step to protect California’s coastline. I want to commend the shipping industry, environmental groups and U.S. EPA for working with California to craft a common sense approach to keeping our coastal waters clean," said Governor Jerry Brown.
"By approving California’s No Discharge Zone, EPA will prohibit more than 20 million gallons of vessel sewage from entering the state’s coastal waters," said Blumenfeld. "Not only will this rule help protect important marine species, it also benefits the fishing industry, marine habitats and the millions of residents and tourists who visit California beaches each year."
This action strengthens protection of California’s coastal waters from the adverse effects of sewage discharges from a growing number of large vessels. Several dozen cruise ships make multiple California port calls each year, while nearly 2,000 cargo ships made over 9,000 California port calls in 2010 alone.
State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) authored Senate Bill 771, the Clean Coast Act, which prohibits all commercial ships from dumping hazardous waste, sewage sludge, oily bilge water, "gray water" from sinks and showers, and sewage in state waters.
"California’s economic health is tied to the health of our oceans and beaches," said Charles Hoppin, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board. "Pollution from cargo and cruise ships directly threatens public health, marine life and our economy. This led to our request to declare the whole coastline a no discharge zone so that we could provide equal water pollution protection along our precious coastline."
In contrast to prior no-discharge zones under the Clean Water Act, which apply in very small areas, the new ban applies to all coastal waters out to three miles from the coastline and all bays and estuaries subject to tidal influence. Other California no discharge zones, which apply to 10 different bays and marinas, remain in effect for all vessels.
"Big ships make for big pollution, but unfortunately, responsible disposal of sewage from ships hasn’t always been a given in California," said Marcie Keever, oceans and vessels project director at Friends of the Earth. "The actions taken by the U.S. EPA, the State of California, and the thousands of Californians who supported the Clean Coast Act mean that cruise lines and the shipping industry can no longer use California’s valuable coastal and bay waters as their toilet."
The State is also continuing to implement and strengthen other efforts to address sewage discharges from smaller vessels, including recreational boats, into state waters.
