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The Water Quality Protection Program, (sponsored by NOAA) is a coalition of twenty-seven federal, state and local agencies, public groups, representatives of the agricultural, boating, equestrian communities, and businesses working to develop and carry out long-term, proactive water quality management plans for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary's eleven watershed regions. The program's goals are to address existing water quality concerns and to prevent the kinds of expensive water pollution crises that have occurred elsewhere in the country through a stewardship approach. The WQPP mission is, by voluntary partnership effort, to protect and enhance the physical, chemical and biological conditions in the Sanctuary and its adjacent watersheds. In 1995, the Half Moon Bay Coastside Foundation's Watershed Posse became San Mateo County's most active participant in the WQPP.
At the heart of the Foundation's efforts is a plan that embodies twenty-four strategies, for agriculture, urban runoff and marine and boating activity, intended to protect and enhance the quality of water that drains into the Sanctuary while sustaining the economic vitality of agriculture. The strategies are focused on improving technical assistance and education, funding and economic incentives for conservation measures, coordination and streamlining of existing regulatory systems in order to reduce the barriers to implementing erosion control practices, and improving maintenance practices for rural roadways and public lands.
Our California Watershed Posse (CWP) is providing a leadership role in establishing networks of private and public sector landowners to address water quality issues. These voluntary projects, in cooperation with the California Regional Water Quality Control Boards, will represent an innovative effort on the part landowners and organizations to establish improved management practices, while building on the many positive practices already underway.
The California Watershed Posse monitors, identify and fight to stop the destructive and polluting activities of private and public entities impacting California's bays and coastal watersheds. The CWP is working closely with state regulatory agencies to monitor and test local ground water, subsurface soils and run off for toxic pollutants in several areas, including the CWP membership in the Lake Berryessa Watershed Partnership.
Since 1991, CWP has provided oversight and stewardship services for the offshore owners of the historic, unregulated toxic landfill, thousand-acre Johnston Ranch, home of the steelhead trout occupied Arroyo Leon Creek now owned by
Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) and
Capital One after receiving a $3.56 billion bank bailout" freebie
from our U.S. Treasury. Neither Peninsula Open Space Trust nor Capital One has come into compliance with the
2014 Industrial Storm Water Permit
which would clean up their "lead-contaminated" landfill properties. The 2014 Industrial Storm Water Permit takes effect on July 1, 2015. Capital One facility is already operating under the 1997 Permit must submit any updates to their compliance documents by this date. Facilities newly covered by the 2014 Permit must also register and submit their compliance documents by July 1, 2015, unless they are going to seek "no exposure certification."
Penalties for not complying are set at $37,500 PER DAY for each day you do not have an NEC or an active stormwater monitoring plan in place!
Both the Peninsula Open Space Trust and
Capital One are demonstrating a continuing betrayal of the public trust
by putting profits before the protection of the 2.6 million San Francisco Bay Area Water Users Hetch Hetchy Reservoir located in the County of San Mateo.
The Half Moon Bay Coastside Foundation dba California Watershed Posse filed a
Public Nuisance complaint naming Capital One Financial and Chairman CEO Richard D. Fairbank
more than six months ago with the San Mateo County Environmental Health Deputy Director Sandra Estrin. The Foundation's Executive Director Hans Reinisch and I, Oscar Braun, met with Deputy Director Sandra Estrin and Deputy D.A. Crystal Chau for an hour and fifteen minutes on Wednesday, November 15th, 2017. The Health Deputy Director informed us that they would NOT authorize the Foundation's Public Nuisance complaint to be filed in the "sanctuary" County of San Mateo at this time.
The Foundation responded that they would then have no choice but to update their
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
aka
RICO referral with U.S. Attorney General Sessions office
due to the fact that
"lead contamination" has been found in the soil
borings conducted at the Johnston Ranch by Lumina Technologies. General Sessions, please consider this petition as our Capital One Toxic Landfill RICO Referral Update for March, 2018. The Foundation requested at the end of their meeting that the Deputy Environmental Health Director provide the Foundation a written explanation as to why our Public Nuisance claim is NOT actionable and by what authority can the sanctuary County of San Mateo not enforce federal environmental laws.
We are asking the stockholders of Capital One Financial and the fifty million (50,000,000) Capital One credit card holders to
demand that their bank put their money where their "environmental sustainability" marketing propaganda is!
Capital One Financial Corporation founder Richard Fairbank proclaims that "It's not what's in your wallet, but in your heart that makes you a successful leader". Mr. Fairbank insight-fully declares that
"nobody wants to work for a phony!"
Let us not forget the famous quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln about deception; "You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time".
The year 2000 brought in the establishment of the Half Moon Bay Coastside Foundation's
first EnviroBank project,
born from its need for a centralized fund dedicated to the protection and health of California's watershed ecosystem, with a special emphasis on the County of San Mateo Coastside and the Crystal Springs Reservoir resources. Now known as the
U.S EnviroBank,
the idea was first developed as a cooperative effort between Foundation members and its watershed counsel, Alan Beaven.
On 9/11, Alan Beaven was a passenger on flight 93 and in his memory and honor of his legacy, we continue on with the goal of providing a permanent public resource for media and documents, to assist researchers and investigators as they carry on the greater mission of protecting our Bay Area's water resources.
Media Release: Capital One Abandons Contaminated Landfill... CWP Files Public Nuisance Lawsuit
September 11th, 2017: The California Watershed Posse has filed a Public Nuisance complaint naming Capital One and its founder, chairman, CEO Richard D. Fairbank for abandoning their lead soil contaminated landfill property in Half Moon Bay California. It is our position that the County of San Mateo Health Department continues to endanger the public's health and safety by not providing the Half Moon Bay coastside communities any
Public Notice required by the EPA.
Ask the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors when do they plan on giving the Public Notice?
What has been learned from Flint Michigan?
This claim has been filed with the State Waterboard and the San Mateo County Health Department. This is for you and for the benefit of future generations, in recognition of 16 years of never forgetting Alan Beaven and his support of this effort. And so the California Watershed Posse may soon declare "Mission Accomplished" as it diligently brings owners of the Johnson Ranch unregulated landfill into full compliance.
To Read More Info and Download Supporting Documents, Click Here.
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Safeguarding the precious Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary goes beyond protecting the resources within its boundaries. Over 50 rivers, creeks and estuaries drain into the Sanctuary,
making it particularly vulnerable to impacts from human activities. Runoff from forests, cities and agricultural land can wash pollutants - like sediment, pesticides and bacteria - downstream into the Sanctuary and its nearby
wetlands. Wetland and riparian areas have been reduced, limiting their ability to act as natural filters for today's pollutants. Reduction of these natural buffers can affect the migration and spawning of steelhead and salmon.
Sewage outfalls and marinas can contribute a variety of contaminants to the marine ecosystem. Oil tankers steam through the Sanctuary, carrying with them the ongoing threat of water-fouling spills. |
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The Sanctuary's health is tied to the quality of its marine waters and inland water resources. Improving water quality is key to preserving and protecting all Sanctuary resources.
Recognizing this, 27 federal, state and local agencies, plus the region's managers, businesses, scientists and concerned public, are working together to develop an innovative ecosystem-based Water Quality Protection Program for the
Sanctuary. The Protection Program aims to integrate the large number of existing water quality programs and plans. Its goal is to enhance and protect the Sanctuary's chemical, physical and biological integrity. |
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Solving Problems The Protection Program has identified a variety of water quality issues and problems in the Sanctuary and
its watersheds. These include toxic pollutants in sediments, shellfish and wildlife; human health problems; sedimentation and low flows in rivers and streams; wetlands alteration; and habitat loss. The Protection Program is
developing and carrying out plans containing specific strategies and actions that address these problems while sustaining the region's economic viability. Strategies include public education, technical assistance, management
practices, research and monitoring, and regulations and enforcement, where necessary. |
