CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SAN FRANCISCO : Tighter Controls on Water Runoff Sought

An environmental group has sued the federal government, demanding stricter controls on contaminated water that runs from storm drains in city streets into the south end of San Francisco Bay. Citizens for a Better Environment asked the U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco to order the Environmental Protection Agency to tighten controls on runoff from cities south of the bay. Environmental experts estimated that 20% to 80% of toxic pollution reaching the bay comes in the form of runoff, including oil that drips from car engines, air pollutants that settle from skies and illegally dumped wastes.