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Marine Debris
No Marine Debris sign The Pacific Protection Initiative
Heal the Bay is sponsoring and supporting a flotilla of four California state bills addressing the problem of marine debris. The legislative package, called “Marine Debris: The Pacific Protection Initiative”, targets the growing amount of plastic trash that is fouling the Pacific Ocean and threatening marine life. Learn more and help out!

Protection & Preservation
Divers amidst a spectacular kelp forest flourishing within the Anacapa Island State Marine Reserve. Image: Nick Fash/Heal the Bay Marine Protected Areas
Heal the Bay, along with other organizations and agencies, is participating in the process to extend the state's network of Marine Protected Areas into Southern California. Find out how MPAs are a valuable tool for both ecosystem protection and fisheries management.

Industrial Sea Water Intake
The Scattergood power plant in El Segundo, CA, is owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and utilizes OTC. Image: California Coastal Records Project Coastal Power Plants
Power plants that utilize once-through cooling (OTC) technology degrade the ocean environment by killing marine life through impingement and entrainment. Alarmingly, twenty-one of California’s coastal power plants use this outdated cooling technology.
The largest U.S. desalination plant is located in Tampa Bay, Florida, and is co-located with a power plant. Image: Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Desalination Plants
Many proposed desalination plants along California's coast involve co-location with power plants that utilize once-through cooling (see above). This may provide an argument against making the federally required upgrades to newer, less harmful cooling technologies at these aging power plants.

Habitat Restoration
Current view of Malibu Lagoon. Copyright © 2002-2003 Kenneth Adelman, California Coastal Records Project, www.Californiacoastline.org. Malibu Lagoon Habitat Enhancement
Heal the Bay has coordinated the preparation of a restoration plan for Malibu Lagoon.

Beach
Belgian sheepdog contemplates the Pacific at Stinson Beach, CA. Copyright © 2003 Jeremy McCreary, www.cliffshade.com. Dog Parks at Public Beaches
Heal the Bay's recommendations for dog parks located at public beaches balances the need for such facilities in urbanized Southern California with protection of public health.
Our Issues Work
The items on this page represent but a fraction of the total effort invested by Heal the Bay working on issues and legislation to achieve the goal of clean and safe Southern California coastal waters.
For example, here's some of the activities our science and policy experts engage in on a daily basis, as your water quality watchdog:
Reviewing/commenting on countless discharge permits
Testifying before the L.A. and California water quality boards on laws & enforcement.
Acting as a technical advisor, member, and/or leader on numerous task forces and project committees
Working with elected officials to author laws and enable projects to improve water quality



This page last updated on Friday, December 07, 2007


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