IV-443 



1. Floating or settleable materials make the system 

 unpleasant or destroy bottom-living organisms. 



2. Decomposable organic materials deplete oxygen 

 necessary for aquatic life and may cause nuisance 

 conditions. 



3. Toxic materials destroy living organisms by killing 

 tUm directly, damaging their reproductive ability, 

 or poisoning their food supply. 



4. Nutrient materials cause over-production of some 

 ecosystem components causing adverse effects on others 



5. Pathogens create public health hazards. 



6. Heated waste discharges reduce available oxygen and 

 cause other adverse effects on the ecosystem. 



These kinds of impacts adversely affect the living resources or 

 aesthetic quality or create a public health hazard. The damage 

 to living resources can be catastrophic when waste discharges 

 are large in volume, strong in concentration, or prolonged in time. 

 Such discharges are restrictive rather than prohibitive, however, 

 in that removal or significant reduction of the waste discharge 

 will permit a healthful ecosystem to slowly reestablish itself with 

 consequent full reestablishment of the formerly restricted uses. 

 San Diego Bay, discussed earlier, is an excellent example of this. 



