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Restoring Lower Tubbs IslandBetween 1947-1966, several operators formulated and packaged DDT and other pesticides at the United Heckathorn Site in Richmond Harbor. These operations resulted in release of DDT and dieldrin into the Lauritzen Channel, a body of water connected to Richmond Harbor and San Francisco Bay via the Santa Fe Channel. Extensive contamination in sediments within the channels as well as in upland soils resulted in the site being placed on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities List in 1990. Consent Decrees between the responsible parties and the government in July 1996 made available $365,000 (with interest accruing) for restoring habitat. The Natural Resources Trustee Council, with representatives from the Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the California Department of Fish and Game, selected the Lower Tubbs Island project as their preferred alternative after developing a list of approximately 30 other sites for potential wetland restoration work. Lower Tubbs Island comprises the southernmost 72 acres of Tubbs Island, which is between Tolay and Sonoma creeks at the west end of San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The site was formerly tidal flat or marsh, but it was enclosed by levees at the turn of the century and converted to agricultural use, especially production of oats and hay. The property was leased to the Fish and Wildlife Service by the State of California in 1976 and farming ceased in 1983. Since then, the site has reverted to sparse grasses and weeds that provide limited habitat for wildlife. The project will restore the site to full tidal action and will result in the development of a salt marsh/tidal slough complex that will provide habitat for fish, aquatic insects, and fish-eating birds. |
Environmental Protection Agency Heckathorn Superfund informationNational Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration fact sheet (pdf)San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge homepage
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