Avian Botulism Annual Reports
Each year during the warm season months, the City has members of the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (SFBBO) monitor the local waterways adjacent to the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant for signs of outbreak of Avian Botulism. Avian Botulism outbreaks occur sporadically in wetlands with large congregations of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds.
The botulism toxin is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum which thrives in the warm marsh environment. Outbreaks can be triggered by unusually warm weather in shallow marshes. Outbreaks are rare, but when they occur, as last happened in 2004, it is helpful to collect the sick and dead birds to limit the extent of the outbreak. Sick birds can be rehabilitated. Dead birds should be removed and incinerated to prevent the bacteriological outbreak from spreading further.
The San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant provides annual reports summarizing the results of Avian Botulism monitoring to the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, the California Department of Fish and Game, and to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in compliance with NPDES permit provision VI.C.2.c.
 These documents can be downloaded in PDF format.
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