These estimates are based on the assumption 

 the industries generally will have to provide a level 

 of treatment of industrial wastes at least equiva- 

 lent to secondary treatment of municipal wastes. 



VII. FUTURE TRENDS 



We must look ahead to see how well secondary 

 sewage treatment will be serving us over the next 

 several decades. We must see if need for waste 

 treatment goes beyond the secondary stage now 

 proposed in the water quality standards. It will not 

 be surprising to find after significantly decreasing 

 or removing point sources of pollution that the 

 non-point sources will be credited with having 

 brought us the most grief. 



Our last defense against pollution is to clean it 

 up after it has occurred. No matter how weU we 

 plan, accidents will occur as witness the Torrey 

 Canyon and Ocean Eagle oil spills. The number of 

 such accidents may or may not decrease in the 

 future, but the potential danger of a single 

 accident whether it be an oil tanker, an industrial 

 plant, or a nuclear power plant will increase. It is 



important that we develop better methods for 

 responding to these accidents. It is hoped that the 

 proposed National Contingency Plan will be ade- 

 quate for the task. 



One activity that concerns this panel is the use 

 of ocean outfalls and waste disposal at sea. The 

 ocean is treated as an infinite sink in its ability to 

 absorb wastes, just as our land-contiguous waters 

 were until very recently. 



Ocean outfalls are used extensively in California 

 and, in some instances, have prevented disastrous 

 pollution of estuarine areas. Very Uttle is known 

 about the ecological effects of ocean outfalls and 

 waste disposal at sea. California is starting to 

 examine this problem from the point of view of 

 the San Francisco Bay-Delta water quality control 

 program.^ ^ 



This panel feels that responsible Government 

 agencies should take immediate steps to learn the 

 effects of ocean outfalls and waste disposal at sea. 



Raymond Walsh, "San Francisco Bay-Delta Water 

 Quality Control Program," Journal of the Water Pollu- 

 tion Control Federation, p. 241. 



ni-60 



