Having the best possible water quality needs to be our community goal as we rely on a healthy ocean and streams for recreation and food supply. Water quality in Morro Bay and other coastal communities is increasingly threatened by pollution from excessive man-made nutrients and other contaminants from farm and urban runoff and wastewater, as reported by the San Luis Obispo Science and Ecosystem Alliance (SLOSEA).
One pollutant of great concern being studied by SLOSEA scientists in Morro Bay is nonylphenol (pronounced "non-il-fe-NALL"), a man-made chemical in treated effluent released from septic and other sewage processing systems into waterways, then leaked into the bay. The SLOSEA lead scientists, biologists Lars Tomanek and Dean Wendt, suspect one source of nonylphenol entering the bay is from the treated effluent from the California Men's Colony wastewater treatment plant released into Chorro Creek. (See "Tumors and Sex Changes, Part One and Part Two" in New Times.)
While not controlled in the U.S., nonylphenol is a toxic chemical that is severely restricted from waterways in Canada, and is effectively banned in the European Union of 15 nations, as reported by Colin Rigley, in New Times article, "Tumors and Sex changes; a goby story." [From Editor: Kudos to New Times for being on this story.]
Rigley states that nonylphenol is a degraded form of the chemical nonylphenol ethoxylate, and when this chemical goes through wastewater treatment plants, it breaks down to the more hazardous nonylphenol form. This endocrine-disrupting chemical mimics the action of the female hormone, estrogen. Additionally, since nonylphenol can be present in sewage sludge, it has the potential to contaminate agricultural land as well as waterways, bays, and coastal ocean areas. (See World Wildlife Fund / Nonylphenol Ethoxylates)
Nonylphenol ethoxylate belongs to a group of man-made chemicals, primarily used in the production of cleaning products such as detergents, personal care products, and pesticides. As reported by the Environment Agency in the United Kingdom, nonylphenol ethoxylates and their primary degradation products, nonylphenols, can be toxic to wildlife, especially to certain water-dwelling organisms and is considered a hormone disrupting substance. Bioconcentration is significant in water dwelling organisms and birds, where it has been found to bioaccumulate in internal organs at between 10 and 1000 times greater than the surrounding environment.
SLOSEA scientists researching in Morro Bay have found nonylphenol "in significant concentrations in water, sediments and tissue samples from the bay. Arrow gobies (Clevelandia ios) living in the bay and estuary have developed liver pathologies and gonadal tumors in the presense of elevated nonylphenol concentrations."
SLOSEA published the Management Action Memo, "Protecting Coastal Environments from Ongoing Pollution Danger, Dec., 4, 2008." The memo begins, "State and local regulatory agencies need to regulate the use and manage the treatment of nonylphenol, a man-made chemical and proven endocrine disruptor, found in high levels in animals that live in California estuaries, including those animals raised as part of human food supply such as oysters and mussels. The threat and linkage with tumors in the liver and gonads of fish warrant a multipronged effort of immediate regulatory action, treatment planning, and targeted research."
The U.S. is slow to pay attention to nonylphenol pollution, except for encouraging volunteer efforts by manufacturers. (For example, Proctor and Gamble, having studied nonylphenol in the 1970's, decided to eliminate this chemical from all of their products.) Since nonylphenol is not listed on product packaging, the consumer cannot know which cleaning products are safer for our marine environment. Therefore, without regulation, our only strategy to keep nonylphenol from polluting our waterways is to not allow wastewater or sewage sludge to enter any waterway or ocean.
Nonylphenol pollution to San Luis Obispo County streams, rivers, and coastal waters is a threat to marine ecosystems and healthy water. Since we rely on the coastal waters to provide us with food as well as water recreation, it is imperative that we work toward excellent water quality. A new statewide report measuring the toxic levels in California streams shows the streams of the Central Coast are some of the most toxic in the state.
A Marine Sanctuary designation would provide San Luis Obispo County with a coordinated effort to protect our local coastal waters from the threat of toxic chemicals flowing into the ocean ecosystems. A variety of local, county, state, and national governmental agencies have been assigned their respective tasks to prevent such pollution, but there is no over-arching coordination to integrate these agencies to maximize preventive measures. The result of this hodgepodge is an increase of the toxin flow into our local ocean waters while action is delayed.
