Adding more straw to the Bay's back.
Image source: Jim M. Goldstein, JMG-GalleriesTalk about kicking someone when they're down down.
When the Cosco Busan collided with the Bay Bridge earlier this month, spilling 58,000 gallons of heavy-duty bunker fuel into the Bay, it was a heartbreaking reminder of the Bay's vulnerability.
But what makes the spill even more upsetting is that it is not the only injury the Bay is enduring: it's a spike against the already roaring background noise, another burden on an already severely stressed ecosystem. In the past 150 years, about 85% of the Bay's tidal marshes have been drained or lost to development. About a third—and in dry years double that amount—of the natural freshwater flows that feed the estuary are diverted instead to farms and cities. In effect, the loss of wetlands and massive diversions of freshwater inflows have compromised the Bay's natural immune system, making it less resilient in the face of disaster. To make matters worse, every year we are "spilling" about 3 million gallons of oil into the Bay and its watershed via polluted runoff and emissions. (Similarly, in the ocean only about 5% of the oil comes from big tanker spills; much more comes from runoff, routine maintenance, and emissions.)
As both a major shipping port and critical wildlife habitat, the Bay is at risk for an even more catastrophic spill. Obviously we need stronger regulations and stiffer penalties to prevent future spills. But we also need to continue working everyday to restore the Bay's wetland habitat and freshwater inflows, and to reduce pollution, so that our Bay will be better able to protect and heal itself.
