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The following article appeared in The Record, Stockton's local daily newspaper.
Originally Published Tuesday,
April 29, 2003
Smith Canal backers get a boost
Stockton leaders agree to return waterway to health
By: Audrey Cooper
A group of city leaders, police, public-health experts, engineers, county bureaucrats and residents agreed Monday to make Smith Canal a place where people can fish, swim and boat again.
The beleaguered urban canal, once a recreation hot
spot in Stockton, suffers from several problems: deteriorating
levees, sunken boats, submerged docks, severe water
pollution and accumulating silt.
Where anglers once caught dinner, signs warn about
the dangers of contaminated Smith Canal fish. The water's
high pathogen count poses health risks to swimmers,
and boats often get stuck in muck at low tides.
It will take a massive, coordinated effort to restore the canal, officials agreed.
"My sons used to swim in that canal without getting infections, so we've seen a lot of deterioration over the years, "said
Cleve Edwards, who has lived
on the canal for nearly
35 years.
Representatives of Friends of Smith Canal, a volunteer group, said they were encouraged by the Monday meeting.
"It
is good that we're thinking about what we can do, not
just what the problems are," group
President Peg Keranen said.
The group agreed to look into whether it's possible
to dredge the canal, a project that could cost tens
of millions of dollars. Dredging could solve some water-quality
problems and would make it possible for boats to pass
through.
Homeowners along the canal say they're also concerned
about the levees, which protect thousands of Stockton
homes from flooding. Many levees have been undercut
by tidal action. Trees along the banks can be uprooted
by the erosion and sent crashing into the canal or
possibly nearby homes.
Reclamation districts in charge of levee maintenance said the erosion isn't an immediate problem. However, the San Joaquin area Flood Control Agency is considering a project that would address that erosion, said Barry O'Regan, a city engineer who works with the agency.
The canal's substantial water pollution is a priority for city officials, said Bob Murdoch, the city's stormwater program manager.
Most of the stormwater from central Stockton drains
into the canal, bringing in everything from lawn clippings
to animal feces. The state considers the canal seriously
polluted with pathogens and pesticides. It also has
low oxygen levels, which can suffocate fish. Sediment
has been found to be polluted with cancer-causing PCBs,
or polychlorinated biphenyls.
Fish often die in the canal by the hundreds, especially after storms wash pollutants from storm drains into the canal.
The city has to write plans to deal with the pollutants.
Officials also have proposed using $500,000 for stormwater
treatment, Murdoch said.
The group also discussed whether aggressive code enforcement could solve problems with abandoned boats and sinking docks.
"I
feel very good about what we're moving toward. It will
just take awhile to get there," Councilman
Larry Ruhstaller said.
* To reach reporter Audrey Cooper, phone 546-8298 or e-mail acooper@recordnet.com
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Stockton,
CA