Environmental issues associated with restoring salt-evaporation ponds at the foot of San Francisco Bay to wetlands appear to be manageable, state officials said earlier this month.(Brief Article)

Land Use Law Report, January, 2003

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES associated with restoring salt-evaporation ponds at the foot of San Francisco Bay to wetlands appear to be manageable, state officials said earlier this month. The state has a deal with Cargill, Inc. to buy 16,500 acres of land for $100 million. Proposition 50, an environmental bond passed by the voters last November, will supply $72 million of the purchase price, with the federal government contributing $8 million.

The balance would come from for private foundations. Researchers with the state Wildlife Conservation Board found contaminants in the ponds, but not at levels that would require hazardous waste treatment. Nine of the 25 ponds contain mercury in levels that could impair the reproductive health of fish-eating birds. The main source...

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