SANTA MONICA BAY HEALING, BUT LEVELS OF DDT STILL HIGH.Byline: Deborah Sullivan Daily News Staff Writer An endangered seabird is on the rebound in Venice, but some Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, sportfish are still contaminated contaminated, v 1. made radioactive by the addition of small quantities of radioactive material. 2. made contaminated by adding infective or radiographic materials. 3. an infective surface or object. by DDT DDT or 2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-1,1,1,-trichloroethane, chlorinated hydrocarbon compound used as an insecticide. First introduced during the 1940s, it killed insects that spread disease and feed on crops. , according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a report by the Santa Monica Bay Santa Monica Bay is an arm of the Pacific Ocean in southern California, United States. Its boundaries are slightly ambiguous, but it is generally considered to be the part of the Pacific within an imaginary line drawn between Point Dume Restoration Project to be released today. The report also shows that wastewater treatment plants have cleaned up their emissions by as much as 99 percent for some heavy metals heavy metals, n.pl metallic compounds, such as aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, and nickel. Exposure to these metals has been linked to immune, kidney, and neurotic disorders. , but storm runoff still funnels dangerously high amounts of zinc and lead into the bay. And while reduction in sewage spills brought the number of days of beach closure down from 46 in 1988 to six in 1997, El Nino-propelled storms drove it back up to 26 so far this year, according to the report. The contrast illustrates the mixed message of the project's 1998 report, ``Taking the Pulse of the Bay,'' which documents major improvements to Santa Monica Bay and its surrounding waters, but points up serious problems that remain. Down to some 30 breeding pairs in Venice 1977, the least tern, an endangered seabird, was gravely threatened by cats, dogs, red foxes, gulls and crows, said Renee DeShazo, an environmental planner with the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Project. That took a turn for the better in 1988 when the project installed a 6-foot-high fence around the breeding colony. Insulated from roaming predators, the tern population jumped to 375 pairs by 1997. DeShazo said the numbers are expected to increase further. ``It's been an improvement back toward a more natural condition when the least terns were more populous in the bay,'' she said. However, at least two species of sportfish are still showing unsafe levels of DDT a decade after dumping of the pesticide into the bay was halted. White Croakers off the Palos Verdes Shelf showed levels of DDT 100 times greater than the amount the state considers safe for human consumption. Kelp Bass have shown lesser levels, but still exceed state standards. ``This is the most severe problem in terms of impact on ecosystem, the worst case we've found,'' of DDT contamination, said Guang-Yu Wang, the project's biologist. However, Jim Dennis, a clerk at L.A. Harbor Sportfishing sport·fish·ing n. The sport of catching fish using a rod and reel. Noun 1. sportfishing - the act of someone who fishes as a diversion fishing field sport, outdoor sport - a sport that is played outdoors , questioned the magnitude of the risk. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. anybody that eats those things frequently enough that it's worth making a major deal about,'' he said. The report also addresses the uncertain funding for bay cleanup efforts. Of three park and recreation bonds now in the legislature, only one potentially includes funds for Santa Monica Bay, said state Assemblywoman Sheila Kuehl, D-Encino. |
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