Richmond Firm Agrees to Implement Waterfront Pollution Controls

Baykeeper recently won a critical victory in its campaign to keep toxic industrial runoff out of San Francisco Bay by securing an agreement from the Levin-Richmond Terminal Corporation to protect the Bay from dangerous contaminated runoff. 

 

Levin-Richmond is a large shipping terminal that handles hundreds of thousands of tons of harmful materials, including coal and petroleum coke (a toxic byproduct of oil refining). These materials are often stored in large exposed piles along the shoreline of the Richmond Channel. This allows cancer-causing dust to wash and blow into the Bay. Under the new agreement, Levin-Richmond will immediately implement an extensive set of pollution controls to reduce runoff pollution and keep toxic substances out of San Francisco Bay. 

 

The company resisted pressure from Baykeeper to clean up the facility’s runoff for more than two years, but Baykeeper’s expert legal team didn’t back down.  

 

Now Levin-Richmond will invest $1.4 million in aggressive improvements to stop their contamination. And, the company will continue to monitor the site’s runoff in future years, to ensure the controls are effectively reducing pollution. If not, Baykeeper says that they will require them to install stronger controls.

 

“Thank you for helping Baykeeper stand firm to stop pollution, no matter what opposition we face.” said Baykeeper Program Director Sejal Choksi-Chugh. “When the Baykeeper team sits across the table from polluters and their army of attorneys, I know we represent not just Baykeeper but all of our supporters. That makes Baykeeper a powerful advocate for the Bay.” And she says that they’re not done. “Baykeeper is continuing to investigate industrial facilities, determine which are serious polluters, and require them to comply with clean water standards.”