Number: 1988-08
WHEREAS, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issues permits for the ongoing disposal of dredging spoils within the San Francisco Bay estuary, in the vicinity of Alcatraz Island; and
WHEREAS, the Federal Water Resources Development Act of 1986 includes new authority for the Corps of Engineers to restore previously damaged fish and wildlife habitat and make improvements at existing projects to improve their environmental performance; and
WHEREAS, the negative impacts of increased turbidity to aquatic habitat of the Bay (e.g. dissolved oxygen, sulfides, etc. levels) resulting from removal and deposition of sediment at the Alcatraz site have not been addressed adequately in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) or Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS); and
WHEREAS, the negative impacts on biological productivity of the Bay from disposal of these dredging spoils in the vicinity of Alcatraz Island have not been addressed adequately–particularly, impacts on primary productivity, shellfish, and finfish production from increased turbidity levels have been insufficiently evaluated; and
WHEREAS, although impacts to the commercial fishing industry received some attention in the DSEIS, negative impacts to recreational fishing participation and subsequent losses to the area’s important recreation fisheries industry have received inadequate assessment; and
WHEREAS, the Army Corps of Engineers has not considered adequately all practical alternatives to the proposed discharge which might have less adverse impact on the aquatic ecosystem including disposing of the sediments in the deep ocean or deferring, postponing, reducing or eliminating proposed new dredging activities; and
WHEREAS, the sediments being dredged contain toxic chemicals which are being released into the water column as the result of the dredging operations;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in annual meeting assembled March 17-20, 1988, in New Orleans, Louisiana urges the discontinuation of the disposal of dredging spoils within the San Francisco Bay estuary as soon as possible; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges the Corps of Engineers to conduct adequate study of all practical alternatives to the proposed discharge which might have less adverse impact on the aquatic ecosystem including the location and manner of deep water ocean disposal of these dredging spoils to assure that such ocean disposal does not significantly damage the ocean environment.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any such deep-water disposal of dredging spoils from the San Francisco Bay be viewed as a short-term emergency measure to deal with a bona fide crisis and that such disposal not be viewed as a precedent for other situations; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon relevant government agencies, including the Corps of Engineers, to seek long-term solutions to the problems associated with the disposal of dredging spoils and reiterates our Resolution No. 14 enacted in 1986, which provides, among other things, that “NWF urges involved government agencies to identify, evaluate, and require reasonable alternative dredging techniques and disposal options, including land disposal, to minimize the adverse environmental impacts of dredging and disposal activities and NWF urges involved government agencies stringently to apply all relevant environmental statutes and requirements to dredging activities.”