Contact EPA Pacific Southwest Water Division
Pacific Southwest, Region 9
Serving: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Islands, Tribal Nations
Redwood City Salt Plant
Reources
March 2015: EPA letter to Lieutenant Colonel J. Morrow, USACE (PDF)
(1 pp, 38K)
On March 18, 2015, EPA exercised its authority under the Clean Water Act to determine whether historic salt marshes in south San Francisco Bay are protected under the Clean Water Act. These marshes are currently used as a salt-making facility at Cargill’s Redwood City Salt Plant, and are proposed for future development. The marshes are a 1,478-acre diked area on the Redwood City shoreline next to the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge.
The EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers share responsibilities under the Clean Water Act to protect human health and the environment from pollution and destruction of waters. EPA works with federal, state, local, and private partners to protect the San Francisco Bay, one of 28 designated estuaries of national significance under the Clean Water Act. Over 90 percent of the Bay’s historic tidal wetlands have been lost, but there are now important public and private efforts to preserve and restore these historic areas.
EPA is conducting a detailed scientific and legal analysis of the site and expects to complete this review later this year or early next year.