Point Reyes Light - October 3, 2002
Fight brewing over bulkheads in Lagoon
By Andrew Pridgen
California Coastal Commissioners on Thursday, Oct. 10, in Eureka will consider an application from Seadrift Association to replace a 410-foot-long bulkhead that protects five homes from the waves of Bolinas Lagoon.
Unlike previous bulkheads at the recreational subdivision, a sheet bulkhead made of interlocking polyvinyl chloride would replace the wooden bulkhead at the eastern end of Seadrift Lagoon.
Although drinking water nationwide is transported by PVC pipes, some West Marin residents, including several Seadrift homeowners, claim PVC is dangerous to people and the environment.
Plans for replacing the bulkheads with PVC sheets have been in the works for more than two years, said Dick Kamieniecki, Seadrift Association’s general manager, this week. He noted the association has encountered protests from some Seadrift homeowners worried about PVC in the lagoon.
Catherine Raab, a Seadrift resident since 1969, told The Light this week that the association’s tactics are "frightening" and "strong-armed...
"We’re really getting scared. PVC is deadly, deadly material....Everything [other Seadrift Association members] have said is a lie. There’s no PVC anywhere on the coast. We’re not being told the truth."
Kamieniecki noted that many agencies, including the Coastal Commission, the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary will have to approve the use of PVC bulkheads before they can be installed.
PVC used widely
"The facts are that PVC is everywhere," he said, "in your water bottles, in the vinyl on your dashboard. There is concern about the use of plastics in the environment, and we understand that. But PVC is low on the list, even below treated woods and concrete."
John Schoonover, a director of North Marin Water District, said that for years most district pipes have been made of PVC. Many of them are being replaced now, he said, because after years of use the fittings tend to wear out. However, he added, "there’s never been any health problems."
Maintenance problems
Sharon Call, another Seadrift resident opposing the use of PVC, said one of the main concerns of opponents is the fact that the PVC will need checking every four years, and then every other year after it has been in place for 12 years.
"There is no other material that requires this kind of maintenance," said Call. "And there’s no real guarantee of how PVC is going to hold up in saltwater. The creation of PVC causes dioxins, and the Board of Supervisors has already banned dioxins. This is a public health and safety issue, and we have a responsibility to the food chain not to pollute the lagoon."
The proposed PVC bulkhead sheets are sold under the name of "Shoreguard" and are specifically manufactured for use in water. Shoreguard does not contain plasticizers (phthalates, bisphenol A, alkylphenols, or alkylphenol polyethoxanol) or lead, cadmium, organotins, or derivatives of alkylphenol phosphates, which are often the chemicals (or stabilizers) that cause contamination.
Coast panel neutral
Coastal commission spokesman Chris Kern said his agency as a matter of policy will not recommend any particular material be used. Commissioners in the past have approved bulkheads of wood, concrete, and PVC and generally "does not prefer one material over the other" but will consider potential harm to the environment.
Kamieniecki said the homeowners hope to begin construction shortly after the new year.