CONGRESSIONAL VIEWS: 
STATEMENT OF CONGRESSWOMAN SALA BURTON 
Estuaries in the surrounding California marshes and life 
carrying tributaries are unique ecosystems of great value to man 
and nature. Yet, for too long, estuaries have been regarded as 
useless resevoirs for municipal and industrial waste. 
More than 100 acres of estuarine habitat have been lost 
nationwide since 1960 and estuaries around the country have been 
considered ecologically. One of those estuaries is of great 
concern to me and happens to be the largest estuary on the West 
Coast, San Francisco Bay, and it's in serious trouble. The 
striped bass population has plummeted 80 percent in the past two 
decades. Salmon, trout, shad, and crab populations have also 
seriously declined. High concentrations of toxics have been 
found in the Bay and is the highest ever recorded in scientific 
literature. Ninety-five percent of the Bay's original wetlands 
have been converted to non-wetland use depriving the Bay of re¬ 
quired pollution filtration and wildlife habitat functions. In 
fact, this is a matter I have addressed with the Army Corps of 
Engineers in hope that greater attention will be given to these 
concerns that are so important to the continued health of the 
Bay. 
As you may be aware, I have offered an amendment to the 
Clean Water Act legislation, HR-8, which authorizes development 
of the San Francisco Bay estuarine programming. Since San Fran¬ 
cisco Bay estuarine watershed is the coastal line to the State 
of California, the Bay system does not currently qualify under 
the interstate provision of the national program. The intent of 
this amendment is to develop a management plan for the Bay's 
estuaries which would be similar to the national plan indicated 
under the EPA's estuary program authorized by Section 320 of the 
Clean Water Act. HR-8 has passed the House with this amendment 
in tact but the Senate has not included this language in its 
Clean Water Act. A conference between the House and the Senate 
is expected to convene after the Thanksgiving recess to rectify 
the differences in these bills. We are working very hard to 
make sure that San Francisco Bay is included in the final ver¬ 
sion. 
I am very pleased that this seminar is being held to discuss 
San Francisco Bay and I want to thank you for permitting me to 
speak on this most important issue for San Francisco. Thank 
you. 
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