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The sinking of Dredge 21 in a Yuba Goldfields pond and subsequent release of contaminants should have sparked an enforcement action, a water quality official said Friday. "Are there consequences for a dredge sinking?" asked Christopher Cabaldon, a member of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. The board received an update on the dredge's January sinking, which released "relatively minor levels of contaminants," according to a staff report to the board. "When the city of Sacramento had a significant spill of raw sewage into the American River, they were required to take the appropriate action and pay a fine to somebody," Cabaldon said. "Is there no consequence when something like this happens, other than you acknowledge what occurred and fix it?" Cabaldon, West Sacramento's mayor, was told the sinking was promptly reported to Yuba County and regional officials. Cal Sierra Development, the dredge's owner, then began cleanup efforts. "The main thing you want is to get it cleaned up," said Wendy Wyels, a board unit chief. The dredge carried hundreds of gallons of contaminants, including motor oil, hydraulic oil, gear box oil and electrical transformer oil. "I'm having a hard time understanding how you can put (those materials) into a water body and not face penalties that are not directly related to a cleanup response," Cabaldon said. Vice Chair Karl Longley said the board can't impose penalties for every water quality violation. "The issue we're facing (is) is this is something that undoubtedly should be regulated. Our cup is full and it runneth over," he said. "Anything else we put in it, something runs out." The board also has monitored mercury levels in wastewater ponds used by Western Aggregates Inc. Mercury levels have exceeded the 50 nanograms per liter in the company's waste discharge requirements approved by the board. "In the goldfields, the hydraulic connection is so tight that much of that mercury contamination can move downstream," said Mark Grismer, professor of hydrology and biological and agricultural engineering at the University of California, Davis. How the dredge sank "is a mystery to me," he said. Board Chairman Robert Schneider criticized Western Aggregates for shifting its wastewater from a designated disposal area to a nearby settling pond. The company stopped pumping to the designated area when it appeared about to fail. "I don't think that the gravel mining industry in the Yuba Goldfields ... should be violating in any way, shape or form their (waste discharge requirements)," he said. He suggested Western should have "stopped operating" to stanch the flow of wastewater. "They might be out of business for a long time," said board member Cher Kablanow. "That's a concern to me when you shut down a business for a lengthy amount of time. I have a real concern about people out of business. Then it bites us here. We don't get funds when there's no business." |
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