Politics & Government

EPA Begins Cleanup of Petaluma River

Effort will assess and remove abandoned barges that have been cluttering waterway for years

For decades, abandoned boats, barges and other debris have cluttered the Petaluma River, creating not only an eyesore on the otherwise beautiful waterway but a navigational hazard.

But on Monday, officials from the Environmental Protection Agency and Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office took the first step in assessing the abandoned vessels, many of which are believed to contain oil, gas, diesel fuel, asbestos and lead paint that could be leaking into the water.

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The effort is the first of its kind for EPA's Emergency  Response Team, which typically deals with oil spills and other hazardous material releases. The operation, which will last at least two months, will cover the entire length of the Petaluma River from Highway 37 into the city of Petaluma and cost the agency and its partners $700,000.

“This debris has been a pain in a lot of people’s sides and…there has been no way to clean this up until now,” said Sgt. Ed Hoener, with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department Marine Unit.

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The effort tackles some 12 sites, mostly commercial barges, which have long been abandoned, with no owner information available to track down responsible parties. The vessels are often used by the homeless to live in, but have never been a priority for agencies who lacked resources to remove the debris.

The EPA, along with California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), will remove fuel and oil from the boat engines, along with asbestos and any other chemicals that may be present. The barges will then be moved to a junk yard and processed for scrap metal.

The effort is particularly important because any chemicals present in the barges may wash into the San Pablo Bay, EPA officials said.

Local river enthusiasts agree.

"This is a major step to get those things out of there, since the river was and continues to be a source of commerce for Petaluma," said Tom Corbett, a member of the and organizer of Petaluma River Cleanup Day scheduled for this Saturday, May 7.

The Saturday event focuses on cleaning up smaller items from the river including car tires, shopping carts and other miscelleny that Corbett says is, unfortunately, all too common in the waterway. The event goes 9am to 2pm and breakfast is provided. Volunteers are asked to come to the boat launch ramp at the Petaluma Marina. 


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