Petaluma River 'impaired' by too much trash

<p>The Petaluma River is among the trashiest waterways feeding San Francisco Bay. Regional water quality officials put it on a list with two dozen other tributaries that have become "impaired" under the federal Clean Water Act by an accumulation of garbage.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><p>The designation could bring increased scrutiny from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which could force cities and counties along the 16-mile river to clean up the trash or more closely monitor storm water runoff.</p><p>"People haven't quite gotten the message that whatever they drop on the sidewalk eventually ends up in a waterway," said Rainer Hoenicke, director of the San Francisco Estuary Institute, a nonprofit that monitors waters of the bay.</p><p>Earlier this week, the shorelines of the central and south bays, along with 24 rivers and creeks, were deemed in desperate need of cleanup by members of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board.</p><p>Field surveys found heaps of garbage, including fast-food containers, plastic bags and cigarette butts that were contaminating waterways and threatening aquatic life.</p><p>Named among the impaired waterways were Rindler Creek in Vallejo and Baxter Creek in Richmond. Neither the Napa River nor San Pablo Bay were on the list.</p><p>On the Petaluma River, surveys were conducted at various times in 2003 and 2004, according to a staff report.</p><p>Based on the number of pieces of trash found over every 100 feet of shoreline, the river scored in the poor category at four locations, the report said.</p><p>It concluded trash entered the river through a combination of urban runoff through storm drains and illegal dumping.</p><p>Water quality control board officials were unavailable Thursday for comment.</p><p>David Yearsley, director of the nonprofit Friends of the Petaluma River, said despite the work of volunteers at the annual May cleanup, debris is a constant problem.</p><p>Runoff washes down the river's tributaries, sending a cascade of Styrofoam containers, plastic bottles, old tires and gas canisters spilling into the river and fragile marshland, he said.</p><p>Other trash comes from a regional landfill on San Antonio Creek in Marin County and homeless people who live along the river, he said.</p><p>Plastic bags are especially harmful because they tear into pieces and fish mistake them for food, he said.</p><p>"I would think a plastic bag ban would go a long way to keeping plastic out of the river," Yearsley said. "That's something the city could impose."</p><p>Hoenicke said the listing means cities near the river will be required to come up with a plan for reducing garbage. If they are unable to do so before a certain time, they could be in violation of law and face fines, he said.</p><p>Petaluma Mayor Pam Torliatt said the city would work with other jurisdictions on it and may be eligible for public funding.</p><p>She praised volunteer cleanup efforts to date.</p><p>"I think the city has been very proactive," she said.</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 762-7297 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com.</p>