Petaluma River 'impaired' by too much trash

The Petaluma River is among the trashiest waterways feeding San Francisco Bay. Regional water quality officials put it on a list with two dozen other tributaries that have become "impaired" under the federal Clean Water Act by an accumulation of garbage.

"People haven't quite gotten the message that whatever they drop on the sidewalk eventually ends up in a waterway..." — Rainer Hoenicke, SFEI

The designation could bring increased scrutiny from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which could force cities and counties along the 16-mile river to clean up the trash or more closely monitor storm water runoff.