118 



tion is to require high degrees of treatment locally and put the treated 

 effluents in the bay. This ti'eatment, maybe it will have a little more 

 sophistication than at present, but there are going to be process 

 failures. 



Then, what is going to hapj^en to the bay ? It is going to put loads on 

 the bay that will cause gross deterioration if the treated wastas ulti- 

 mately are not taken out of the bay, simply because there is not 

 adequate diluting capability for the residuals from the treatment 

 processes. 



Senator Tunney. That is very hopeful. I was a member of the Public 

 Works Committee when we passed the Act of 1972, and I helped to 

 draft that legislation. I think your comments on it are most interesting. 



We really appreciate your giving us the benefit of your knowledge, 

 and I wish that we could spend many more minutes cross-examining 

 you or examining you on the things which you have said. 



We are running into a time problem. We have other witnesses, one 

 more witness, and so I am going to have to at this point excuse you, 

 but I want you to know that I am personally as a citizen of your State, 

 deeply concerned about these same problems, and I think that the in- 

 sights that you have given to us will be very helpful to this committee. 



Dr. Pearson. Senator, could I take 1 minute to comment on a ques- 

 tion raised by Senator Stevens earlier? 



Senator Tunney. Yes. 



Dr. Pearson. The question was raised, what is the effect of oils, have 

 there been any studies, are these significant, does the concentration 

 of oil of 10 parts per million make any sense? 



There have been studies in this area, in southern California which 

 have included health of the fish, and planktonic organisms and so 

 forth. They have included an area where the discharge of hydrocar- 

 bons each year to the sea is greater than that released in the Santa 

 Barbara channel during the first year of the noted oil well failure. I am 

 referring to two main municipal wastewater discharges, the city and 

 county of Los Angeles, and these combined discharges, with an equiva- 

 lent hydrocarbon concentration considerably greater than 10 parts per 

 million, that fraction which can be attributed to oils, contribute to this 

 area of the coastal shelf of Los Angeles, each year more hydrocarbons 

 than was i-eleased during the first year of the Santa Barbara oil well 

 failure. Yet, that amount of hydrocarbons dispersed in that area 

 apparently has not had any significant effects on the fisheries in the 

 area. I can't say this absolutely, but at least fishery experts today have 

 indif^ated that this is one of the findings of their studies. 



Thank you. 



Senator Tunney. Thank you, very much. 



[The statement follows:] 



Statement of Dr. Eeman A. Pearson, Professor and Head. Sanitary 

 Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Calif. 



introduction 



Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee on Oceans and Atmospheres 

 it is a pleasure to appear before yon to discuss problems of ocean pollution and 

 coastal waste management. I am Dr. Erman A. Pearson. Professor and Head of 

 Sanitary Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley where I have 

 been engaged for over two decades in teaching, research and profes.'jional engi- 



