12 • Feb. 27 - Mar. 12, 2015 • The Log
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Carson Report published in 2002. A few years later, Shelter Island
Yacht Basin in San Diego was the first marina to be subject to TMDL man- dates and experiment with alternative hull paints. Last year, port officials said they were making progress in reducing copper levels at Shelter Island. The copper levels at Shelter Island
reportedly exceed federal and state standards, according to port officials. A regulatory order required Shelter Island to reduce copper levels 10 per- cent by 2012, a goal the port reported it achieved. Looking ahead, Shelter Island must reduce copper levels 40 percent by 2017 and 76 percent by 2022. A resolution adopted by the
Shelter Island:
A Petri Dish for Copper Reduction
California Regional Water Quality Control Board (San Diego Region) identified copper as harmful to aquatic life.
“At relatively low concentration lev-
els, copper is toxic to aquatic organ- isms. Copper toxicity to aquatic life varies between species and within individual species’ life stages,” the res- olution stated. “Copper tends to accu- mulate in sediment, threatening the benthic life at Shelter Island Yacht Basin. Copper in the sediment may need to be removed through human intervention.” The resolution added 98 percent of copper levels at Shelter Island were traced to copper-based antifouling paints applied to the hulls of recre- ational boats. “We’re making progress toward 40
percent [copper reduction]. We have several programs we’re working on,” Karen Holman, environmental and land use manager at Port of San Diego, said. Holman said boaters at Shelter
By Parimal M. Rohit
SAN DIEGO — All eyes are on San Diego Bay. Specifically, recreational boaters, legislators and many govern- ment agencies are watching how Shelter Island keeps pace with a regu- latory order requiring port officials to reduce copper levels 76 percent by 2022 in the northwestern corner of San Diego Bay.
The first mandate imposed on
Shelter Island was reportedly satisfied. In 2013, Port of San Diego officials announced copper levels were reduced 10 percent. Port officials are now looking to meet its next goal: reduce Shelter Island’s copper levels 40 percent by 2017. If Shelter Island is able to keep pace with the state mandate, other harbors
This story is the second installment in a series on copper reduction. Part 1 was published in the Feb. 13 issue; the next installment in this series will be published March 13 and will feature more perspectives on this complex issue. If you are a boater at Shelter Island or Marina del Rey and would like to
share your perspectives about TMDL and copper reduction, please contact the writer via email at
parimal@thelog.com.
and marinas could begin imposing Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) requirements to reduce copper levels at their respective venues.
TMDL is essentially a budget of how much copper is allowed to be dis- charged into the water. Copper levels above the budget can be harmful to marine life, according to state officials. Legislators and state officials began studying copper levels and looking to implement TMDL requirements since the early 2000s.
Since 2001, various reports and studies have indicated copper levels in Shelter Island and Marina del Rey were significantly higher than federal and state mandates allowed. Accordingly, government officials
and environmental activists urged change, including pushing recreational boaters to switch from using copper to an alternative paint to protect their boat hulls from corrosion. They were armed with a bill signed into law by Gov. Gray Davis in 2001 and The
Island were offered a grant to incen- tivize conversion from copper to alter- native hull paints or coatings. About three dozen boaters participated in the voluntary conversion program to date. Grant funding is set to expire in June, meaning Shelter Island boaters inter- ested in experimenting with hull paint conversion must sign up by April. According to Holman, the grant, which applies only to boaters who switch to non-biocide paints or coat- ings, covers about 70-80 percent of the conversion costs. The exact price tag varies from boat to boat, with its size and need to be stripped factoring into the cost. On average, boaters have received between $5,000 and $8,000 in grant money. Holman added the port hopes to find another grant option for boaters in the future. In the meantime, she is hopeful Assembly Bill 425 (AB 425), which was enacted in 2013, will help all harbors and marinas in California control copper levels. When Shelter Island began working
toward meeting its 10 percent mandate a few years ago, Holman said boaters expressed some resistance to change. Many did not believe the alternatives would work. However, most boaters who partici- pated in the grant program claimed to
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