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73-578: The chemical waste was dumped in at least 14 offshore locations, ranging from the Channel Islands in the north, to the shores off Ensenada, Mexico in the south. The Environmental Protection Agency has designated one of the offshore sites as a subunit of the Montrose Chemical Superfund site . After studying the offshore site, the EPA is planning is to leave the waste in place, and cover it with

146-639: A deep platform of volcanic rock . This, in turn, lies atop the eastern margin of the Pacific plate , a large tectonic plate which mostly consists of the oceanic crust underlying the Pacific Ocean but also incorporates the continental crust of California west of the San Andreas Fault . The volcanic rock underlying the islands was laid down in undersea eruptions between 19 and 15 million years ago. The Channel Islands platform may have been above sea level for

219-483: A final listing of decisions after considering all the relevant comments that were received during the comment period. The Superfund docket contains the Hazard Ranking System score sheets for each proposed facility, a documentation record for each facility that details the information used to compute the score, information for any facility affected by particular statutory requirements or EPA listing policies, and

292-543: A high rate of cancer which is rare in wild animals. In 2017, after studying various approaches to remediation for the Palos Verdes Shelf, the EPA decided to leave the waste in place, and cover it with a layer of sediment . In 2020, the US Corps of Army Engineers published a study outlining a plan to dredge sediment from Queens Gate Channel (a deep water passage leading into the of Port of Long Beach ) and deposit it over

365-554: A higher yield Terrestrial conservation efforts are being made to maintain the islands' endemic species. Feral livestock, including pigs, goats, and sheep, pose a threat to many of the species, including the San Clemente loggerhead shrike and Channel Islands spotted skunk . The National Park Service eradicated the feral pigs on Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz islands during the 1990s and on Santa Catalina Island in 2007. Introduced pathogens have devastated island species due to isolation from

438-651: A layer of sediment. From the 1930s until the early 1970s, multiple government agencies (including the California Regional Water Quality Control Board and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ) approved ocean disposal of domestic, industrial, and military waste at 14 deep-water sites off the coast of Southern California. Waste disposed included refinery wastes, filter cakes and oil drilling wastes, chemical wastes, refuse and garbage, military explosives and radioactive wastes. From 1946 to 1970, over 56,000 barrels of radioactive waste were dumped into

511-736: A list of documents referenced in the documentation record. TOXMAP was a geographic information system (GIS) application from the Division of Specialized Information Services of the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) that used maps of the United States to help users visually explore data from the EPA Superfund Basic Research Program and the Toxics Release Inventory . The application

584-559: A more detailed site inspection. EPA then uses the HRS to review any available data on the site to determine whether its environmental or health risks are enough to qualify the facility for a Superfund NPL cleanup. Generally, facilities with overall scores of 28.50 and greater on the HRS are eligible for the NPL. Another way facilities can be included in the NPL is if a state or territory designates one top-priority site within its jurisdiction, regardless of

657-520: A time after its creation. Still, it was quickly eroded below the water line and underwent sediment accumulation for the next 10-14 million years. During the same period, the ongoing collision of the Pacific plate and the adjacent North American plate caused the Channel Islands platform and adjacent mainland areas to rotate 90 degrees counterclockwise. This resulted in the present east-west orientation of

730-501: A total between $ 73 and $ 77 million. When combined with prior lawsuits, this brought the total up to $ 140 million to fund the restoration of the Palos Verdes Shelf marine environment. Until as recently as 2007, bald eagles on Santa Catalina Island were unable to reproduce because the DDT caused their eggshells to become too thin and to break open before the eagle was fully developed. California sea lions have high levels of DDT and

803-634: A year, mostly during the summer. Visitors can travel to the islands by boat or airplane. Camping grounds are available in the Channel Islands National Park in Anacapa, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara Islands. Attractions include whale watching, hikes, snorkeling, kayaking and camping. Natural seepage of oil occurs at several places in the Santa Barbara Channel. Tar balls or pieces of tar in small numbers are found in

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876-546: Is an "Operable Unit" of that Montrose Chemical Superfund Site. In 1990, the United States and California filed lawsuits against several companies that had industrial facilities near the Palos Verdes peninsula, citing damages to the nearby marine environment. The defendants included Montrose Chemical , Imperial Chemical Industries , Rhône-Poulenc , and Westinghouse Electric Corporation . In December 2000, Montrose Chemical and three other corporations settled their lawsuits for

949-564: Is the only one of the eight islands with significant permanent civilian settlements—the resort city of Avalon and the unincorporated community of Two Harbors . University of Southern California also houses its USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies marine lab in Two Harbors. The Channel Islands National Park mainland visitor center in Ventura Harbor received 342,000 visitors in 2014. The islands attract around 70,000 tourists

1022-575: Is unknown), lived alone on San Nicolas Island from 1835 until her removal from the island in 1853, when men discovered her inside a hut made of whalebones and brush. Juana Maria's fondness for green corn, vegetables, and fresh fruit caused severe attacks of dysentery. In her weakness, she fell from Nidever's porch and injured her spine. On Oct. 18, 1853, only seven weeks after arriving on the mainland, she died of dysentery in Garey, California, at age 43. Before she died, Father Sanchez baptized and christened her with

1095-579: Is visible today as marine terraces along the islands' slopes. Undersea exploration has found evidence of lower shorelines below today's sea level. Separated from the California mainland throughout recent geological history, the Channel Islands provide the earliest evidence for human seafaring in the Americas. The northern Channel Islands are now known to have been settled by maritime Paleo-Indian peoples at least 13,000 years ago. The Arlington Springs Man

1168-666: The Australian blue gum tree , olive tree, sweet fennel , and Harding grass , threaten native species through competition for light, nutrients, and water. The Australian blue gum, for example, releases toxins in its leaf litter which prevents other species of plants from growing in the soil surrounding it. The blue gum, as well as other species including the Harding grass, are much more flammable and better adapted to wildfires than native species. Earthworms , thought to have come from mainland topsoil imported for road construction, are altering

1241-564: The Chumash known as tomol and by the Tongva as te'aats , appeared on the islands around 1,500 BP (500 AD). The boat had become a critical part of Chumash and Tongva culture by 650 AD. The tomol boats were highly sophisticated boats that were able to transport multiple families across the islands which were valuable to the culture of the Chumash people. The boats were made from tule which made

1314-518: The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Information System (CERCLIS). Then, either EPA or the state in which the potentially contaminated facility is located will conduct a preliminary assessment, which decides if the facility poses a threat to human health and/or the environment. If the preliminary assessment shows the possibility of contamination, EPA (or the state under agreement with EPA) will conduct

1387-524: The Scripps Institution of Oceanography re-surveyed the area, and used high-resolution photography. They confirmed the large number of barrels, and the photography revealed a large number of munitions on the ocean floor. In 2024, a team of scientists from the University of California at Santa Barbara discovered evidence low-level radioactive waste was dumped in the ocean during the 1960s. The material

1460-906: The Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) published a report that identified 14 waste dump sites in the Southern California Bight . Starting in 1975, contaminated waste disposal in the San Pedro Channel was prohibited. Thereafter, uncontaminated dredge materials continued to be disposed of at approved EPA sites in the San Pedro Channel. Since 1985, fish consumption advisories and health warnings have been posted in Southern California because of elevated DDT and PCB levels. Bottom-feeding fish are particularly at risk for high contamination levels. Consumption of white croaker , which has

1533-480: The Tongva , lived on the islands from around 13,000 to 7000 years ago until they were displaced by the Spaniards in the 1800s, who used the islands for fishing and agriculture. The Channel Islands and the surrounding waters house a diverse ecosystem with many endemic species and subspecies. The islands harbor 150 unique species of plants. Two of the islands, San Clemente Island and San Nicolas Island , are used by

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1606-562: The Torrey pine subspecies Pinus torreyana var. insularis , which is endemic to the island. Torrey pines are the United States' rarest pine species. The islands also house many rare and endangered species of plants, including the island barberry , the island rushrose , and the Santa Cruz Island lace pod . Giant kelp forests surround the islands and act as a source of nutrition and protection for other animals. Invasive species , such as

1679-711: The Transverse Ranges geologic province , and the four Southern Channel Islands are part of the Peninsular Ranges province. Five of the islands are within the Channel Islands National Park . The waters surrounding these islands make up Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary . The Nature Conservancy was instrumental in establishing the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. The Chumash Native Americans, and later

1752-702: The US Navy as training grounds, weapons test sites, and strategic defensive locations. The eight islands are split among the jurisdictions of three California counties : Santa Barbara County (four), Ventura County (two), and Los Angeles County (two). The islands are divided into the Northern Channel Islands and the Southern Channel Islands. The four northern Islands used to be a single landmass known as Santa Rosae . The archipelago extends for 160 miles (257 km) between San Miguel Island in

1825-422: The western gulls , bald eagles , pigeon guillemots , and Scripps's murrelets use the islands as well for shelter and breeding grounds. The endemic island fox is California's smallest natural canine and has rebounded from its near extinction in the late 1990s. Several endemic reptile and amphibian species including the island fence lizard , island night lizard , and Channel Islands slender salamander live on

1898-609: The 1973 SCCWRP map; the missing fourteenth site is off the southern edge of the map, located at 31.847120N 118.57122W, off the coast of Mexico. The map below uses the same site numbering as the 1973 SCCWRP map. The map below includes two sites which are not included in the 1973 map: the Palos Verdes Shelf site, and the Montrose Chemical facility in Torrance. Chemicals and other waste that have been documented in waste sites off

1971-497: The Channel Islands became locally extinct after widespread use of pesticides such as DDT . The birds ingest contaminated fish and seabirds which poisons the adults and weakens their eggs. Golden eagles , which are natural competitors of other birds of prey , do not primarily feed on these animals and were able to colonize the islands in the early 1990s. In the early 2000s, golden eagles were live trapped and relocated. In 2002 and 2006 breeding pairs of bald eagles were reintroduced to

2044-458: The Channel Islands being overly harvested, their populations are now low making them an endangered species by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries since October 2011. 34°00′58″N 119°48′14″W  /  34.01611°N 119.80389°W  / 34.01611; -119.80389 National Priorities List The National Priorities List ( NPL ) is

2117-479: The EPA is performing initial studies on "site 2" from the 1973 SCCWRP map. Whether additional waste will be discovered in the ocean is an open question. According to environmental scientist Mark Gold from the Natural Resources Defense Council , “[t]he more we look, the more we find, and every new bit of information seems to be scarier than the last... This has shown just how egregious and harmful

2190-642: The MPA network implemented caused fish species to increase in biomass in terms of both size, numbers, and weight per area. This increase in fish population was seen both in the MPA and as spillover in the regions outside of these thirteen zones. Given the most recent General Management Plan, passed in April 2015, this MPA will continue to be monitored and protected for the next twenty to forty years in hopes of continuing its successful pattern of restoring biodiversity. Due to Black Abalone (Haliotis Cracherodii) being native species to

2263-631: The MPA, the Channel Island National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council is in charge of state waters including hiring employees and park workers. The federal waters remain under the control and protection of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The California Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary has been moderately successful as shown in a ten-year study done by the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO). From years 2003–2013,

Chemical dumps in ocean off Southern California - Misplaced Pages Continue

2336-466: The Pacific Ocean off White Point on the Palos Verdes Shelf. The manufacturing process resulted in groundwater and surface soil contamination on and near the Montrose plant property. Estimates of discharged DDT range from 800 to 1000 tons, between the late 1950s and the early 1970s. Montrose, in addition to dumping DDT, also dumped sulfuric acid, which was a byproduct of the DDT manufacturing process. The acid

2409-399: The Palos Verdes Shelf. In early 2021, a survey of the ocean floor using sonar uncovered more than 25,000 barrel-like objects on the sea floor that possibly contained DDT and other toxic chemicals. The mission included a team of 31 scientists and engineers, led by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . In 2023, an expedition led by

2482-652: The San Clemente sage sparrow. Two breeds of livestock, the Santa Cruz sheep and the San Clemente Island goat originate from here. Many species of large marine mammals, including pacific gray whales , blue whales , humpback whales , and California sea lions breed or feed close to the Channel Islands. Current occurrences of the critically endangered North Pacific right whales and historically abundant Steller's sea lions in these areas are unknown. Seabirds, including

2555-550: The Southern California shore include: Channel Islands (California) The Channel Islands ( Spanish : islas del Canal, Archipiélago del Norte ) are an eight-island archipelago located within the Southern California Bight in the Pacific Ocean , off the coast of California. They define the Santa Barbara Channel between the islands and the California mainland. The four Northern Channel Islands are part of

2628-687: The Spanish name Juana Maria. She was buried in an unmarked grave on the Nidever family plot at the Santa Barbara Mission cemetery. Aleut hunters visited the islands to hunt otters in the early 1800s. The Aleuts purportedly clashed with the native Chumash, killing many over trading disputes. Aleut interactions with the natives were detailed in Scott O'Dell 's novel Island of the Blue Dolphins which described

2701-563: The U.S. formally closed the issue. In 1972, in "a bit of political theater", twenty-six Brown Berets sailed to Catalina Island on tourist boats, set up a small encampment near the town of Avalon, put up a Mexican flag, and claimed the island on behalf of all Chicanos, citing the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo . Twenty-four days later, sheriff's deputies took everyone back to the mainland. The United States Navy controls San Nicolas Island and San Clemente Island , and has installations elsewhere in

2774-473: The United States. This list is Appendix B of the National Contingency Plan, known as the "National Priorities List." Hazardous waste sites become eligible for CERCLA/Superfund cleanup when EPA receives a report of a potentially hazardous waste site from an individual, state government, or responsible federal agency. EPA will first enter the potentially contaminated facility into a database known as

2847-429: The barrels. Military munitions, including Hedgehogs , Mark 9 depth charges , anti-submarine weapons and smoke devices, were found on the ocean floor. These WW II munitions were commonly disposed of in the ocean before the 1970s. The EPA concluded that over 3 million tons of petroleum products were dumped in the Southern California waste sites, including refinery wastes, filter cakes and oil drilling wastes. In 1973,

2920-405: The boats very buoyant and unsinkable. The Nicoleño was a Uto-Aztecan Native American living on San Nicolas Island in California. The population was "left devastated by a massacre in 1811 by sea otter hunters". The group's last surviving member was named Juana Maria, born before 1811 and died in 1853. Juana Maria , better known to history as the "Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island" (her native name

2993-444: The chain. During World War II all of southern California's Channel Islands were put under military control, including the civilian-populated Santa Catalina where tourism was halted and established residents needed permits to travel to and from the mainland. San Miguel Island was used as a bombing range and Santa Barbara Island as an early warning outpost under the presumed threat of a Japanese attack on California. San Clemente Island

Chemical dumps in ocean off Southern California - Misplaced Pages Continue

3066-533: The dumping has been off our nation’s coasts, and that we have no idea how big of an issue and how big of a problem this is nationally.” The Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) published a report in March 1973 that identified 14 waste dump sites in the Southern California Bight. The SCCWRP map does not include the Palos Verdes Shelf site. The map below shows 13 of the 14 dump sites from

3139-485: The eastern Pacific Ocean, according to a 1999 report by the International Atomic Energy Agency . The barrels were dumped at sites ranging from Alaska to Southern California. Montrose Chemical Corporation manufactured DDT during the years 1947 to 1983 at its plant near Torrance, California . The plant discharged wastewater containing the now-banned pesticide into Los Angeles sewers that emptied into

3212-517: The highest contamination levels, should be avoided. Other bottom-feeding fish, including kelp bass , rockfish , and sculpin , are also highly contaminated. As a part of the Superfund project, the EPA is looking to reinforce the commercial and recreational fishing ban on white croaker. In October 1989, the former Montrose Chemical facility in Torrance was added to the EPA's Superfund National Priorities List . The offshore Palos Verdes Shelf dumping site

3285-421: The indigenous peoples living on the island. The Chumash and Tongva were removed from the islands in the early 19th century and taken to Spanish missions and pueblos on the adjacent mainland. The Channel Islands were used primarily for ranching and fishing for a century. Several of the islands were used by whalers in the 1930s to hunt for sperm whales. This had significant impacts on island ecosystems, including

3358-554: The island ecosystems has made significant progress. An example of conservation progress has been the bald eagle , which was threatened due to DDT contamination but whose populations are now recovering. With the help of scientists from the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies , the Catalina Island Fox has also recovered from a low of 100 individual foxes to over 1,500 foxes in 2018. Occasional discussion on

3431-572: The islands' ridges. About 5 million years ago , the Channel Islands and the onshore east-west ranges, such as the Santa Monica Mountains , were uplifted as a result of tectonic forces from the collision of the northward-moving Baja California peninsula--attached to the Pacific plate--with the North American plate. Compression of the rocks lifted the islands above sea level in a process of folding and faulting that continues today. Since

3504-484: The islands. During the Late Pleistocene a dwarf mammoth species, the pygmy mammoth inhabited the northern Channel Islands, before becoming extinct around 13,000 years ago, around the time of human arrival to the Channel Islands. The Channel Islands also had a huge population of shellfish during this time that every part of utilized. The abalone was so important the native peoples started to farm abalone based to get

3577-444: The kelp and on the beaches. Native Americans used naturally occurring tar, bitumen , for various purposes, including roofing, waterproofing, paving, and some ceremonial purposes. The Channel Islands at low elevations are virtually frost -free and constitute one of the few such areas in the 48 contiguous US states . It snows only rarely on higher mountain peaks. The Channel Islands consist mainly of sedimentary rock , which lies on

3650-485: The late Pleistocene to historic times. The Anacapa Island Archeological District is a 700-acre (280 ha) historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1979. Historically, the northern islands were occupied by the island Chumash , while the southern islands were occupied by the Tongva . The earliest known Chumash village site is on Santa Rosa Island. It belongs to

3723-502: The list, and 43 sites have been proposed for listing. 448 sites have been deleted from the list. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), also known as "Superfund", requires that the criteria provided by the Hazard Ranking System (HRS) be used to make a list of national priorities of the known releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants in

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3796-558: The list. The primary cleanup goal is to reduce the risks to human health and human health in the environment through a combination of cleanup, engineered controls like caps and site restrictions such as groundwater use restrictions. A secondary goal is to return the site to productive use as a business, recreation or as a natural ecosystem. Identifying the intended reuse early in the cleanup often results in faster and less expensive cleanups. EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Program provides tools and support for site redevelopment. The public has

3869-449: The local extinction of sea otters, bald eagles, and other species. For example, the decline in the local otter population led to the population growth of their prey, the black abalone . As a result, the Channel Islands became an essential stop in the 1850s for Chinese-American fishermen who harvested the abalone and exported them to Hong Kong. As most of the Channel Islands are managed by federal agencies or conservation groups, restoring

3942-634: The mainland that they could not cultivate on the island. Around 2,500 BP (500 BC), there was a significant evolution in technology and increasing reliance on fishing. The circular shell fishhooks were increasingly used. Mortars and pestles were manufactured on San Miguel Island for trade with the mainland. The middens in San Miguel Island showed some of the earliest known fishing hooks and specialized tools for processing seafood. Archaeologists on site CA-SMI-608 found various tools made from chipped stone, bone tools, and beads. A new type of boat created by

4015-404: The mainland. In 1998, an outbreak of canine distemper swept through Santa Catalina Island severely reducing the island skunk and fox populations. Rabies and distemper vaccination programs were initiated to protect the island's wildlife. Canine distemper is thought to have been brought to the islands on a stowaway raccoon or a domestic dog. In the 1950s, bald eagles and peregrine falcons on

4088-483: The north and San Clemente Island in the south. Together, the islands’ land area totals 221,331 acres (89,569 ha), or about 346 square miles (900 km ). Five of the islands ( San Miguel , Santa Rosa , Santa Cruz , Anacapa , and Santa Barbara ) were made into the Channel Islands National Park in 1980. The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary encompasses the waters six nautical miles (11 kilometers; 6.9 miles) off these islands. Santa Catalina Island

4161-487: The northern islands. Later in 2006, the introduced adult eagles hatched chicks on the islands for the first time since their extinction. The Channel Islands National Park established a bald eagle webcam on their website in 2007. The California Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary consists of thirteen Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) around the five islands of the Channel Islands National Park. Combined, these smaller thirteen zones are 124,676 acres (50,455 ha) in size. Eleven of

4234-578: The opportunity to comment on facilities that are proposed to be added to the National Priorities List. EPA publishes notices in the Federal Register listing the proposed facilities. The agency will consider all comments received within 60 days after publication in the Register. The complete set of comments are available to the public one week following the close of the comment period. EPA makes

4307-563: The period around 7,500 BP. The Chumash people lived in large villages or towns with up to 1,000 residents. Chumash villages typically contained houses and sweat lodges and occasionally had menstrual houses, cemeteries, sacred spaces, and structures for food storage and preparation. The Chumash people were leaders in the creation of their villages, they had a sociopolitical organization that allowed their villages to be so well preserved and created great social space and village community that lasted even into an excavation of their villages. Soon after,

4380-407: The population density on the islands began to rise. A significant increase in fish and marine mammal exploitation has been observed. The Tongva people used many marine artifacts in their daily lives, such as shells. They used shells to create beads, and while this was not part of their dietary practices, it was a vital part of their economy. They used these shell beads to trade to obtain more food from

4453-571: The priority list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for long-term remedial investigation and remedial action (cleanup) financed under the federal Superfund program. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations outline a formal process for assessing hazardous waste sites and placing them on the NPL. The NPL is intended primarily to guide EPA in determining which sites are so contaminated as to warrant further investigation and significant cleanup. As of 2022, 1333 sites are on

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4526-404: The richest marine ecosystems of the world. Many unique species of plants and animals are endemic to the Channel Islands, including fauna such as the Channel Islands spotted skunk , ashy storm-petrel , and flora including a unique subspecies of Torrey pine . Flora on the Channel Islands include a unique subspecies of pine, oak, and the island tree mallow . Santa Rosa Island holds two groves of

4599-528: The site's HRS score. The last way a site can be included in the NPL is if it meets the following three requirements: EPA may delete a final NPL site if it determines that no further response is required to protect human health or the environment. Also, sites where a remediation was completed through the Superfund program are typically deleted from the list. As of 2022, 1333 sites are on the list, and 48 sites have been proposed for listing. 443 sites were deleted from

4672-528: The status of the islands has arisen because they (and the Farallon Islands ) were not explicitly mentioned in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo , which ceded northern Mexico to the United States. Citing these perceived legal ambiguities, settlers created unrecognized Micronations in at least two cases. A 1944 review by the Mexican government concluded that it had no claim to them, and a 1978 maritime treaty with

4745-475: The unique ecosystem and microbial communities on San Clemente Island, threatening biodiversity . In this formerly earthworm-free region, they change the distribution of plants and vegetation, making it possible for non-native plants to invade. The Channel Islands and the waters surrounding hold many endemic species of animals, including fauna such as the Channel Islands spotted skunk, island scrub jay , ashy storm-petrel , San Clemente loggerhead shrike , and

4818-407: The uplift began, the extent of the islands has varied with sea levels. During ice ages , when the water line was hundreds of feet lower than today, more land was exposed, and several islands were effectively joined into a single large island. Conversely, less of the land was exposed when sea levels were higher, and shorelines formed at higher levels. Evidence for ancient shorelines at higher sea levels

4891-504: The zones are no-take and harvest areas and the remaining two marine conservation areas allow limited take of lobster and pelagic fish. Although there is a no-take policy, tourists are allowed to visit and observe the beautiful biodiversity. There are several restrictions that limit the type and weight of gear tourists are allowed to bring including transportation–only park/private boats or planes are permitted to enter, fuel transportation, etc. In order to enforce these restrictions and preserve

4964-403: Was added, and in 1956, a GPS-3 search radar was installed. A new MPS-14 long-range height-finder radar was installed in 1958. The base was shut down in March 1963, when the 669th was moved to Vandenberg AFB near Lompoc, California . The islands still house US Navy SEALs training facilities, including Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island . The Channel Islands form part of one of

5037-485: Was discovered in 1960 at Arlington Springs on Santa Rosa Island. The remains were dated to 13,000 years BP . The Tuqan Man was discovered on San Miguel Island in 2005. His remains were exposed by beach erosion and were preserved by University of Oregon archeologists. His age was determined to be about 10,000 years. Archeological sites on the island provide a unique and invaluable record of human interaction with Channel Island marine and terrestrial ecosystems from

5110-407: Was in the form of barrels. California Salvage, a company that provided waste disposal services during the 1960s, transported DDT on barges to "dumping site 2" (about halfway between Palos Verdes and Santa Catalina island) and dumped it directly into the ocean, as a liquid. Analysis by the EPA suggests that most of the DDT measured in the Southern California waters is from the barge disposal, rather than

5183-605: Was probably dumped by California Salvage, a now-defunct company that also dumped DDT in the ocean during the 1960s. As of 2024, the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers are actively working on remediation of the Montrose site (in Torrance) and the Palos Verdes Shelf. None of the 14 numbered offshore locations in the 1973 SCCWRP map (see map below) have been designated as operable units of the EPA's Montrose Superfund site, and hence are not subject to remediation efforts as of 2024. However,

5256-535: Was transported to the dump sites on barges operated by California Salvage Company. The Montrose Corporation site, consisting of 13 acres (5.3 ha), is now an EPA Superfund site. Other industries also discharged PCBs into the Los Angeles sewer system that ended up on the Palos Verdes Shelf. The Palos Verdes Shelf is located off the coast of Palos Verdes (between Point Fermin and Point Vicente ) and covers 43 square kilometers (17 square miles). Not all DDT waste

5329-606: Was used to train the Navy's first amphibious force to prepare for Pacific combat against the Japanese in World War II. San Nicolas Island has been used since 1957 as a launch pad for research rockets. Santa Rosa Island was used in 1952 as a base for the USAF 669th AC&W Squadron and they operated two Distant Early Warning FPS-10 radars from the hilltops there. In 1955 another FPS-3 search radar

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