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Federal agency knew of Mothball Fleet pollution in 1997, documents show

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 8, 2010 at 8:21 am

mothball fleetFrom the Vallejo Times-Herald:

“The U.S. Maritime Administration knew in 1997 that paint falling off its obsolete ships anchored in Suisun Bay could cause toxic pollution, yet took no action for more than a decade while denying a problem existed, according to federal documents.

Cleanup was called “essential” in a 1997 memo that stated, “Environmental precautions must be recognized to the fullest extent.”

“Exfoliating paint on (Maritime Administration) ships is an issue that must be addressed,” the August 1997 internal memo states. “The discharge of lead and tributyltin, commonly found in marine paints, are prohibited by federal, state and local environmental regulations — there may be some impacts on water and biotic resources.”

But the Maritime Administration undertook no cleanup as the so-called Mothball Fleet anchored off Benicia continued to deteriorate for another decade. A 2007 study found that 21 tons of paint flakes laden with lead and other toxic metals had fallen into local waters and that 66 more tons remained on the vessels. … “

Read more from the Times-Herald by clicking here.

Picture of mothball fleet by flickr photographer telstar (Creative Commons).

February 8, 2010 · Filed Under Bay Area, Water Quality

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