$32 Million Of Cosco Busan Settlement Will Go Toward Restoration
OAKLAND (KCBS)— The majority of the $44 million Cosco Busan settlement money will be spent on a variety of restoration projects.
Many of the hundreds of attendees at the State of the San Francisco Estuary Conference welcomed the news Tuesday.
KCBS' Margie Shafer Reports:
The 2007 Cosco Busan oil spill affected both humans and wildlife. Shorelines were closed and birds were visibly impacted.
Tom Mumley with the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board is hopeful the settlement money will lead to a cleaner shoreline.
"It shocked us in terms of taking for granted these uses of the Bay. It can easily get compromised by a single encounter," said Mumley.
Beth Huning of San Francisco Bay Joint Venture had similar aspirations for the settlement money.
"The funding from the Cosco Busan will really help bring back a lot of the resources that were damaged during the spill," she said.
She expects trail enhancement to be done in an environmentally sensitive way.
"A lot of this money is going to benefit the species that were impacted and then also to complete some of the tidal marsh restoration that's happening," Huning added.
While some monies have been earmarked for bird, fish and habitat restoration, a public hearing will be held in the near future to gather input on to how best spend the money marked for recreational improvements.
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