Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the largest wastewater dischargers of water into the protected Pacific Grove area of the bay. The State Water Resources Control Board exempted the aquarium from a state ban on dumping wastewater into a marine protected zone.
The aquarium continuously takes in about 1,400 gallons of seawater a minute and discharges a like amount. Part of the reason for the exemption is none of the waste seawater samples exhibited toxicity effects. In addition, the facility takes steps to treat the water prior to discharge. The aquarium routes all seawater exposed to birds and mammals through ultraviolet (UV) sterilization. This process gets rid of bacteria and other microbes. Other discharged water, particularly water that has been in contact with exotic species, is run through ozone treatment in order to kill any larvae or eggs that could potentially reach the bay. And water treated with chemicals or pharmaceuticals is isolated and not released back into the bay.