by Citation News Editor
15. November 2011
The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, the California State Water Board, and the US EPA have launched an enforcement effort to eliminate the discharge of pre-production plastic pellets into California waters. These plastic pellets, called nurdles, are very small and contribute to the growing problem of plastic debris in inland and coastal waters. Nurdles are often discharged into the environment while being unloaded from railcars at plastic manufacturing facilities. They then wash down storm drains and into open water with storm runoff where they are eaten by birds and marine life. The nurdles displace food in the animals’ stomachs, leading to starvation.
Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline in San Leandro is the site of the first cleanup ordered because of the collaborative effort between state and federal environmental agencies. The cleanup has been ordered by the Regional Water Board. It is being paid for by four companies responsible for the plastic discharges. The nurdles and other debris will be swept up in large, floating pool skimmers, collected and hauled away.
