In 1892, the women of ZLAC Rowing Club first set oar to water and later moved to the club’s current location on Mission Bay. In 1995 San Diego Coastkeeper set about protecting our region’s waters. On Tuesday, June 25, 2013, the groups joined to present a two hour exploration of the theme, “Is Mission Bay Gross.” Four area experts reviewed Mission Bay’s ecological history, its current water quality, the City’s plans for maintaining and improving the health of the Bay and ways community members can get involved in finding and fixing problems.

 

• Rob Hutsel, executive director of San Diego River Park Foundation, discussed Mission Bay’s history (complete with some great old pictures & maps) and how it was transformed into one of the biggest recreational assets in San Diego. He revealed historical changes of the course of water flowing to the Bay from the San Diego River, and the Bay’s water circulation patterns throughout the year. His presentation to come.

 

• Dr. John Griffith, department head of microbiology of Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, compared Mission Bay’s water quality status with similar water bodies in the region. A water quality expert, he reviewed who does the testing, what kinds of tests are done, and what connects government water quality standards and human health. His presentation to come.

 

• Ruth Kolb, program manager at City of San Diego Transportation and Stormwater Department, discussed how Mission Bay got its bad reputation and how the City of San Diego has acted to improve the Bay’s water quality. See her presentation here.

 

• Mallory Watson, Community Engagement Coordinator at San Diego Coastkeeper, shared her expertise about current problems Coastkeeper sees affecting Mission Bay’s water quality and how community members can become involved in identifying and reporting problems and improving the water quality. See her presentation here.

 

At the end of the evening, we concluded that Mission Bay has come a long way from gross to great. Like with all water bodies that might suffer pollution, we suggest you check the Swim Guide for the most recent closure information before diving in. But the many swimming, boating and park recreational opportunities throughout the park are unique, fantastic and we’d say that today, Mission Bay is a Gem.

 

Join us at future informative events and volunteer opportunities by visiting the San Diego Coastkeeper calendar.