54 FISH AND oa:\ie commission 



rather than court fines. Immediate prosecutions are contincd to con- 

 ditions resulting from negligence or wilful disregard of law and to 

 substances which are widely known to be prohibitive through previous 

 publicity and educational effort. 



In both the technical studies and the enforcement activities the 

 cooperation of various municipal. State and Federal agencies has been 

 solicited and received. Valuable technical assistance has been received 

 from the State Bureau of Sanitary Engineering, district sanitary 

 engineers and the major oil companies. Federal agencies charged with 

 the enforcement of similar pollution laws in navigable waters have 

 rendered active assistance on law enforcement. Pollution patrol of 

 harbor and beach areas by the U. S. Coast Guard, reports from customs 

 officials and legal support of the War Department through their dis- 

 trict engineers have all aided materially in pollution control. Evi- 

 dence obtained by the pollution detail and Federal agencies is freely 

 exchanged and may be utilized for prosecution by either one or both. 

 In this connection it is understood that Federal fines imposed on pollu- 

 tion cases in California during the last three months alone will total 

 over $37,000. 



It is impossible to determine the expenditure of various enter- 

 prises to correct conditions found unsatisfactory by the pollution detail 

 but the amount unquestionably totals several million dollars for the 

 present biennium. Corrective measures include installations to screen, 

 settle, filter, incinerate and impound in addition to chemical and 

 biological treatment methods. In numerous instances these installa- 

 tions have resulted in the recovery of bj^-products producing added 

 profit for the concern. 



Particular emphasis has been given to the exclusion of substances 

 causing visible pollution of State waters since items of this type are 

 the most common source of complaint. Solids that blanket the bottom 

 or produce gases during decomposition are extremely damaging to 

 aquatic life. Invisible polluting agents such as acids, metals and 

 organic substances in solution require more detailed technical study 

 to determine sources and in general are more difficult to treat or 

 exclude. Organic wastes are dangerous due to their ability to remove 

 oxygen, producing lethal areas or complete barriers to fish migration. 

 Many such conditions have been corrected and investigations to remedy 

 others of a similar nature are in progress. 



Beach, harbor, and general aquatic conditions in southern Cali- 

 fornia have shown remarkable improvement during the liiennium. 

 In this area, where oil has been the largest contributor to pollution, 

 improvements have been effected through cooperation at all the major 

 oil fields and pollution from loading' terminals and bilge pumping have 

 been larsely controlled through cooperation and enforcement. 

 Improvement may also be noted through the reduction of garbafre, 

 citrus nroducts. fish cannery waste and other refuse formerly dis- 

 charged indiscriminately. In this connection, a rotary screen designed 

 by one of the pollution detail to eliminate fish cannery solids has 

 proven profitable to concerns installing the device. 



Food and beverage industries, including canneries, sugar refin- 

 eries, wineries, distilleries, dairy products, and meat plants have 

 required active attention in many parts of the State. Programs to 



