Oct 17, 2000 (The San Francisco Chronicle)—A federal judge has ordered a scrap metal company at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard to stop discharging contaminated water into the bay.
Astoria Metals Corp., which has a contract with the Navy to dismantle old ships, can no longer discharge water from the abandoned dry dock where frigates and other large vessels are taken apart by blowtorch.
The ruling, in effect, prohibits the metal yard from flushing out the dry dock with bay water.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston found Astoria in violation of the federal Clean Water Act and a 1998 consent decree that prohibits the discharge of contaminants. Attorneys for Astoria argued that the company has made "substantial progress" at cleaning up the work area.
Environmental groups have complained that Astoria, which rents the dry dock from the Navy, has been releasing contaminants, including lead, copper, zinc, tributyltin, oil and grease into the bay.
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