SAN DIEGO (FOX 5\/KUSI) \u2014\u00a0San Diego Bay was once considered among the most polluted waterways in America. That was then; this is now.<\/p>\n
According to environmental watchdog San Diego Coastkeeper, the Big Bay is bouncing back in a big way.<\/p>\n
“We did water quality testing for an entire year at different locations around San Diego Bay. We were all a little surprised at how clean it is. I would actually go swimming here. San Diego Bay is cleaner than Mission Bay right now,” said Phillip Musegaas of San Diego Coastkeeper.<\/p>\n
It’s taken decades to reach this point. At one point in history, the bay was an open dumping ground for industrial waste.<\/p>\n
Since then, tons of toxic sludge and solid waste have been dredged from the floor of the bay.<\/p>\n
Along with new environmental standards across the board, the military and the shipbuilding industry have also made major strides toward a cleaner future.<\/p>\n
“You know this report kinda surprised us. I would say that the Navy and the Port of San Diego have been doing a good job across the board,” said Musegaas.<\/p>\n
As the stewards of San Diego Bay, the Port of San Diego has created aggressive new programs to stop pollution where it starts.<\/p>\n
They’ve also created something called The Blue Economy Incubator.<\/p>\n
So far, the Port has invested in and promoted 14 different new products, all designed to make our bay a little better by the day.<\/p>\n
“One of those products is going in right now. They call it ‘ECOncrete’. It’s a special material that prevents erosion along the shoreline. But it’s also designed to create a new habitat for marine life that did not exist before,” said Annabelle Jackson with the Port of San Diego.<\/p>\n
With the healthiest report card in the history of San Diego Bay, there is a sense of accomplishment for those involved.<\/p>\n
But no one is popping champagne corks just yet.<\/p>\n
For the Port and Environmental watchdogs, this is just the beginning of the evolution of San Diego Bay.<\/p>\n
“If you do the right things, we can make a big difference,” said Musegaas. “This report shows that even big waterways can recover pretty nicely.”<\/p>\n
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