Central Coast

Memorandum Report on the Floods of January and February 1969 in the Southern District of the Department of Water Resources

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | February 27th, 1970

Mercury Contamination from Historical Gold Mining in California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | October 31st, 2005

Mercury levels in nearshore fish from the Central Coast area: Important information for fish consumers

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | April 11th, 2017

Several species of marine fish commonly caught in nearshore Central Coast waters may contain high levels of mercury. Several rockfish species, especially Black-and-Yellow

Several species of marine fish commonly caught in nearshore Central Coast waters may contain high levels of mercury. Several rockfish species, especially Black-and-Yellow, China, Copper, and Gopher, and sharks and bat rays are species of concern. People who routinely consume fish from nearshore waters are advised to follow the recent statewide coastal advisory released in November 2016 by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) regarding consumption of these and other species. The advisory recommends “no consumption” of several fish species for women 18-45 years and for children 1-17 years, and limiting consumption of some species for all population groups. The advisory can be found online at http://oehha.ca.gov/advisories/statewide-advisory-eating-fish-california-coastal-locations-without-site-specific-advice. Site-specific advice was also developed for Elkhorn Slough, and can be viewed at http://oehha.ca.gov/advisories/elkhorn-slough.

Meta-analysis reveals negative yet variable effects of ocean acidification on marine organisms: Biological responses to ocean acidification

Ecology Letters (Wiley) | August 16th, 2010

Ocean acidification is a pervasive stressor that could affect many marine organisms and cause profound ecological shifts. A variety of biological responses to ocean acid

Ocean acidification is a pervasive stressor that could affect many marine organisms and cause profound ecological shifts. A variety of biological responses to ocean acidification have been measured across a range of taxa, but this information exists as case studies and has not been synthesized into meaningful comparisons amongst response variables and functional groups. We used meta-analytic techniques to explore the biological responses to ocean acidification, and found negative effects on survival, calcification, growth and reproduction. However, there was significant variation in the sensitivity of marine organisms. Calcifying organisms generally exhibited larger negative responses than non-calcifying organisms across numerous response variables, with the exception ofcrustaceans, which calcify but were not negatively affected. Calcification responses varied significantly amongst organisms using different mineral forms of calcium carbonate.Organisms using one of the more soluble forms of calcium carbonate (high-magnesium calcite) can be more resilient to ocean acidification than less soluble forms (calcite and aragonite). Additionally, there was variation in the sensitivities of different developmental stages, but this variation was dependent on the taxonomic group. Our analyses suggest that the biological effects of ocean acidification are generally large and negative, but the variation in sensitivity amongst organisms has important implications for ecosystem responses.

Minerals of California Bulletin No. 113

State of California | February 15th, 1938

Missing the Boat on Freshwater Fish Conservation in California

Conservation Letters (Society for Conservation Biology) | March 30th, 2016

Population growth and increasing water‐use pressures threaten California's freshwater ecosystems and have led many native fishes to the brink of extinction. To guide fi

Population growth and increasing water‐use pressures threaten California's freshwater ecosystems and have led many native fishes to the brink of extinction. To guide fish conservation efforts, we provide the first systematic prioritization of river catchments and identify those that disproportionately contribute to fish taxonomic diversity. Using high‐resolution range maps of exceptional quality, we also assess the representation of fish taxa within the state's protected areas and examine the concordance of high‐priority catchments with existing reserves and among distinct taxonomic groups. Although most of the state's native fishes are found within protected areas, only a small proportion of their ranges are represented. Few high‐priority catchments occur within protected areas, suggesting that fish conservation will require active management and targeted river restoration outside of reserves. These results provide the foundation for systematic freshwater conservation planning in California and for prioritizing where limited resources are allocated for fish recovery and protection.

Modern groundwater reaches deeper depths in heavily pumped aquifer systems

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | September 7th, 2022

Deep groundwater is an important source of drinking water, and can be preferable to shallower groundwaters where they are polluted by surface-borne contaminants. Surface-

Deep groundwater is an important source of drinking water, and can be preferable to shallower groundwaters where they are polluted by surface-borne contaminants. Surface-borne contaminants are disproportionately common in ‘modern’ groundwaters that are made up of precipitation that fell since the ~1950s. Some local-scale studies have suggested that groundwater pumping can draw modern groundwater downward and potentially pollute deep aquifers, but the prevalence of such pumping-induced downwelling at continental scale is not known. Here we analyse thousands of US groundwater tritium measurements to show that modern groundwater tends to reach deeper depths in heavily pumped aquifer systems. These findings imply that groundwater pumping can draw mobile surface-borne pollutants to deeper depths than they would reach in the absence of pumping. We conclude that intensive groundwater pumping can draw recently recharged groundwater deeper into aquifer systems, potentially endangering deep groundwater quality.

Monitoring Program for the Santa Maria Valley Management Area

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | April 11th, 2013

The terms and conditions of a Stipulation in the Santa Maria Valley Groundwater Basin Litigation passed down by the Superior Court of the State of California, County of

The terms and conditions of a Stipulation in the Santa Maria Valley Groundwater Basin Litigation passed down by the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Santa Clara, on June 30, 2005, are intended to “impose a physical solution establishing a legal and practical means for ensuring the Basin’s long-term sustainability.” Under the Stipulation, the groundwater, imported and developed water, and storage space of the Basin are to be managed in three management areas, including one for the Santa Maria Valley (SMVMA) (Figure 1). The management area is approximately 175 square miles in size encompassing the Santa Maria and Sisquoc Valleys, extending north to the Nipomo Mesa, east to the cliffs above the Santa Maria River and terraces along the Sisquoc River, south to the Casmalia and Solomon Hills, and west to the coast. According to the Stipulation, a monitoring program is to be established for each of the three management areas to collect and analyze data regarding water supply and demand such that the following objectives are met: 1) assessment of groundwater conditions, both levels and quality; 2) determination of land use, water requirements, and water supply; and 3) accounting of amounts and methods of disposition of water utilized. This monitoring program has been prepared to meet these objectives in the SMVMA. Also in accordance with the Stipulation, it is expected that the monitoring results will be utilized for preparation of annual reports on the SMVMA, including an assessment of whether conditions of severe water shortage are present. The monitoring program for the SMVMA, with minor revisions from October 2008, is described by individual element in the following section. Among other components, the monitoring program includes networks of historically monitored wells, stream gauges, and climatic stations. These monitoring points were selected based on publicly available information about their locations, characteristics, and historical data records with the intent of continuing those records as much as possible. It is recognized that, as implementation of the program proceeds, the inclusion of some network wells may be determined to be impractical or impossible due to problems of access or abandonment. Further, the reestablishment of inactive (or installation of new) wells, stream gauges and climatic stations will depend on interagency coordination, permitting procedures, and budgetary constraints. Thus, it is anticipated that the overall monitoring program will be incrementally implemented as practicalities like those mentioned above dictate. Similarly, it is expected that, with time, the program will undergo modification in response to various factors (e.g. replacing network wells abandoned in the future, revising well classifications by aquifer depth zone), while maintaining the overall goal of facilitating interpretation and reporting on water requirements, water supplies, and the state of groundwater conditions in the SMVMA.

Monitoring Well Destruction, Replacement, and New Installations at Various Locations Soquel, Capitola, and Aptos, CA

Soquel Creek Water District | June 14th, 2012

A total of six new monitoring wells and seven replacement monitoring wells were drilled and constructed, and 13 monitoring well destroyed between February 7 and April 26,

A total of six new monitoring wells and seven replacement monitoring wells were drilled and constructed, and 13 monitoring well destroyed between February 7 and April 26, 2012 for the Soquel Creek Water District (District). This work took place at six different locations in the Soquel-Aptos area. The work was accomplished in order to meet the basin management objectives of the Soquel-Aptos Groundwater Management Plan (Soquel Creek Water District and Central Water District, 2007) and recommendations made in the Water Year 2010 Annual Report and Review (HydroMetrics WRI, 2011). A summary of the work performed and monitoring well construction details at each of the six locations are provided below. 

Montecito Groundwater Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Montecito Groundwater Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (MGBGSA) | May 19th, 2023