Flow Recommendations to the State Water Resources Control Board

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) | May 22nd, 2008

Pursuant to Public Resouces Code (PRC) Section 10001, in the early 1980s, the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) in coordination with all regional DFG offices, identified

Pursuant to Public Resouces Code (PRC) Section 10001, in the early 1980s, the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) in coordination with all regional DFG offices, identified 21 streams and watercourses for which minimum flow levels needed to be established in order to assure the continued viability of stream-related fish and wildlife resources. Over approximately 20 years, DFG investigated the instream flow needs of these listed streams and watercourses.  The investigations included field studies, data analyses, and consultations with local, state, and federal agencies and interested individuals and organizations.  As a result of the investigations, DFG prepared instream flow recommendations for the listed streams. The attached transmittal summarizes the flow recommendations prepared by DFG pursuant to PRC 10000.  Submission of these recommendations to the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) complies with PRC Section 10002. As will be evident upon review, the attached flow recommendations are intended to supplement, but not replace, current administrative records.  The attached flow recommendations should not be implemented by the SWRCB without further investigation and consideration of supporting information that would identify constraints or limitations that qualify each recommendation. In addition, as noted on each recommendation, some studies were done many years ago using early methods.  DFG has established an administrative file in the Water Branch that contains the resource documents cited in the flow recommendations.

Fluid migration pathways to groundwater in mature oil fields: Exploring the roles of water injection/production and oil-well integrity in California, USA

Science of The Total Environment (Elsevier) | August 23rd, 2023

Fourth Five Year Review Report for the San Gabriel Valley Area 2 Superfund Site, Los Angeles, California

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | September 15th, 2022

This is the fourth Five-Year Review of the San Gabriel Valley Area 2 (Site) located in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County, California. The purpose of this Five-

This is the fourth Five-Year Review of the San Gabriel Valley Area 2 (Site) located in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County, California. The purpose of this Five-Year Review is to review information to determine if the remedy is and will continue to be protective of human health and the environment. The Site addresses approximately 10 square miles of groundwater contamination in eastern Los Angeles County within the San Gabriel Valley. Groundwater contamination is believed to result from the cumulative impact of decades of improper chemical handling and disposal practices at numerous industrial operations in the Valley. The Site contamination originates at current and former industrial facilities in and near Azusa, California and extends to the southwest through portions of the cities of Irwindale, Baldwin Park, West Covina, and Industry. The most prevalent contaminants in groundwater are trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, carbon tetrachloride, perchlorate, n-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), and 1,4-dioxane.

Fragmented kelp forest canopies retain their ability to alter local seawater chemistry

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | July 20th, 2020

Kelp forests support some of the most productive and diverse ecosystems on Earth, and their ability to uptake dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) allows them to modify loca

Kelp forests support some of the most productive and diverse ecosystems on Earth, and their ability to uptake dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) allows them to modify local seawater chemistry, creating gradients in carbon, pH, and oxygen in their vicinity. By taking up both bicarbonate and CO2 as a carbon source for photosynthesis, kelp forests can act as carbon sinks, reducing nearby acidity and increasing dissolved oxygen; creating conditions conducive to calcification. Recent stressors, however, have reduced kelp forest canopies globally; converting once large and persistent forests to fragmented landscapes of small kelp patches. In a two-year study, we determined whether fragmented kelp patches retained the ability to alter local seawater chemistry. We found that diel fluctuations of multiple parameters of carbonate chemistry were greater in the kelp canopy than in the kelp benthos and in adjacent urchin barrens, consistent with metabolic activity by the kelp. Further, kelp fragments increased pH and aragonite saturation and decreased pCO 2 during the day to a similar degree as large, intact kelp forests. We conclude that small kelp patches could mitigate OA stress and serve as spatial and temporal refugia for canopy-dwelling organisms, though this effect is temporary and confined to daylight hours during the growing season.

Framework to Coordinate Water Quality Improvement and Wildlife Habitat Conservation to Protect California Streams, Wetlands and Riparian Areas

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | February 1st, 2016

The emergence of comparable landscape approaches to wildlife conservation and water quality improvement through federal and California state regulatory and management pr

The emergence of comparable landscape approaches to wildlife conservation and water quality improvement through federal and California state regulatory and management programs provides an opportunity for their coordination to better protect California’s aquatic resources, especially streams, wetlands, and riparian areas. Such coordination is patently desirable. A framework has been developed to help coordinate restoration and compensatory mitigation across policies governing wildlife conservation and water quality in the landscape context. The framework is based on the Wetland and Riparian Area Monitoring Plan (WRAMP) of the California Wetland Monitoring Workgroup (CWMW) of the Water Quality Monitoring Council. The framework presented here is a version of the standard WRAMP framework. It only differs from the standard framework to better accommodate wildlife conservation planning, assessment and reporting. To distinguish this version from the standard version, it is termed theWRAMP for wildlife (WRAMPw).

From Sediment to Top Predators: Broad Exposure of Polyhalogenated Carbazoles in San Francisco Bay

American Chemical Society (ACS) | January 23rd, 2017

The present study provides the first comprehensive investigation of polyhalogenated carbazoles (PHCZs) contamination in an aquatic ecosystem. PHCZs have been found in soi

The present study provides the first comprehensive investigation of polyhalogenated carbazoles (PHCZs) contamination in an aquatic ecosystem. PHCZs have been found in soil and aquatic sediment from several different regions, but knowledge of their bioaccumulation and trophodynamics is extremely scarce. This work investigated a suite of 11 PHCZ congeners in San Francisco Bay (United States) sediment and organisms, including bivalves (n = 6 composites), sport fish (n = 12 composites), harbor seal blubber (n = 18), and bird eggs (n = 8 composites). The most detectable congeners included 3,6-dichlorocarbazole (36-CCZ), 3,6-dibromocarbazole (36-BCZ), 1,3,6-tribromocarbazole (136-BCZ), 1,3,6,8-tetrabromocarbazole (1368-BCZ), and 1,8-dibromo-3,6-dichlorocarbazole (18-B-36-CCZ). The median concentrations of ΣPHCZs were 9.3 ng/g dry weight in sediment and ranged from 33.7 to 164 ng/g lipid weight in various species. Biomagnification was observed from fish to harbor seal and was mainly driven by chlorinated carbazoles, particularly 36-CCZ. Congener compositions of PHCZs differed among species, suggesting that individual congeners may be subject to different bioaccumulation or metabolism in species occupying various trophic levels in the studied aquatic system. Toxic equivalent (TEQ) values of PHCZs were determined on the basis of their relative effect potencies (REP) compared to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). The median TEQ was 1.2 pg TEQ/g dry weight in sediment and 4.8–19.5 pg TEQ/g lipid weight in biological tissues. Our study demonstrated the broad exposure of PHCZs in San Francisco Bay and their characteristics of bioaccumulation and biomagnification along with dioxin-like effects. These findings raise the need for additional research to better elucidate their sources, environmental behavior, and fate in global environments.

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment: Alteration of streamflow magnitudes and potential ecological consequences: a multiregional assessment

Ecological Society of America (Wiley) | October 19th, 2010

Human impacts on watershed hydrology are widespread in the US, but the prevalence and severity of streamflow alteration and its potential ecological consequences have not

Human impacts on watershed hydrology are widespread in the US, but the prevalence and severity of streamflow alteration and its potential ecological consequences have not been quantified on a national scale. We assessed streamflow alteration at 2888 streamflow monitoring sites throughout the conterminous US. The magnitudes of mean annual (1980–2007) minimum and maximum streamflows were found to have been altered in 86% of assessed streams. The occurrence, type, and severity of streamflow alteration differed markedly between arid and wet climates. Biological assessments conducted on a subset of these streams showed that, relative to eight chemical and physical covariates, diminished flow magnitudes were the primary predictors of biological integrity for fish and macroinvertebrate communities. In addition, the likelihood of biological impairment doubled with increasing severity of diminished streamflows. Among streams with diminished flow magnitudes, increasingly common fish and macroinvertebrate taxa possessed traits characteristic of lake or pond habitats, including a preference for fine-grained substrates and slow-moving currents, as well as the ability to temporarily leave the aquatic environment.

Gaps and opportunities in nitrogen pollution policies around the world

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | July 6th, 2020

Nitrogen pollution is an important environmental issue gaining traction in policy circles. However, there is little understanding of current nitrogen policies around the

Nitrogen pollution is an important environmental issue gaining traction in policy circles. However, there is little understanding of current nitrogen policies around the world: whether they account for nitrogen’s unique ability to exacerbate multiple environmental impacts or balance nitrogen’s dual role as an essential agricultural input and major pollutant. Here we assemble and analyse the first database of nitrogen policies generated by national and regional legislatures and government agencies, a collection of 2,726 policies across 186 countries derived from the ECOLEX database. The database covers all major environmental sinks (such as air, water and climate), economic sectors (including agriculture, wastewater and industry) and policy instruments (from market mechanisms to regulatory standards). We find that sink-centred policies are focused predominantly on water, mirroring the distribution of nitrogen’s global environmental and human health costs. However, policy integration across sinks is severely lacking, which heightens the risk of substituting one form of nitrogen pollution for another. Moreover, two-thirds of agricultural policies (ranging from broad sectoral programmes to nitrogen-specific measures) incentivize nitrogen use or manage its commerce, demonstrating the primacy of food production over environmental concerns.

Gauging climate preparedness to inform adaptation needs: local level adaptation in drinking water quality in CA, USA

Climatic Change (Springer) | December 23rd, 2013

Understanding resource managers’ perceptions of climate change, analytic capacity, and current adaptation activities can provide insight into what can help support ada

Understanding resource managers’ perceptions of climate change, analytic capacity, and current adaptation activities can provide insight into what can help support adaptation processes at the local level. In California, where a major drought currently demonstrates some of the hardships that could be regularly encountered under a changing climate, we present results from a survey of drinking water utilities about the perceived threat, analytic capacity, and adaptation actions related to maintaining water quality in the face of climate change. Among surveyed utilities (n = 259), awareness is high in regard to climate change occurring and its potential impacts on water quality globally, but perceived risk is lower with regard to climate impacts on local drinking water quality. Just over half of surveyed utilities report at least some adaptation activity to date. The top three variables that most strongly correlated with reported adaptation action were (1) perceived risk on global and local water quality, (2) surface water reliance, and (3) provision of other services beyond drinking water. Other tested variables significantly correlated with reported adaptation action were (4) degree of impact from the current drought and (5) communication with climate change experts. Findings highlight that smaller groundwater-reliant utilities may need the most assistance to initiate climate adaptation processes. Trusted information sources most frequently used across respondents were state government agencies, followed by colleagues in the same utilities. The finding that frequently used sources of information are similar across utilities presents a promising opportunity for training and disseminating climate information to assist those systems needing the most support.

Geochemistry of Ground Water in the Sacramento Valley, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 13th, 1984

A geochemical investigation was done to evaluate temporal changes in water quality and to determine the processes that control water chemistry in shallow ground water of

A geochemical investigation was done to evaluate temporal changes in water quality and to determine the processes that control water chemistry in shallow ground water of the Sacramento Valley, California. A total of 671 chemical analyses from 651 wells were used to study the processes controlling water chemistry. Temporal variations in dissolved-solids and nitrate concentrations were studied in 140 and 62 wells, respectively, having multiple observations with time.