Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay 2016 Detailed Workplan and Budget

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | November 10th, 2015

In 2016 the Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (RMP) is entering its 24th year of collecting data and communicating information to suppor

In 2016 the Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (RMP) is entering its 24th year of collecting data and communicating information to support water quality management decisions. This Detailed Workplan and Budget describes the activities that will be completed in 2016 and their proposed funding levels.

Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay 2018 Detailed Workplan and Budget

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | November 1st, 2017

In 2018 the Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (RMP) is entering its 26th year of collecting data and communicating information to support

In 2018 the Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (RMP) is entering its 26th year of collecting data and communicating information to support water quality management decisions. This Detailed Workplan and Budget describes the activities that will be completed in 2018, the proposed funding levels, and the deliverables for each task. 

Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay Monitoring Design for the Status and Trends Monitoring Program (2014-2027)

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | July 1st, 2018

Regional monitoring programs in the United States: Synthesis of four case studies from Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf Coasts

Regional Studies in Marine Science (Elsevier) | November 17th, 2015

Water quality monitoring is a cornerstone of environmental protection and ambient monitoring provides managers with the critical data they need to take informed action. U

Water quality monitoring is a cornerstone of environmental protection and ambient monitoring provides managers with the critical data they need to take informed action. Unlike site-specific monitoring that is at the heart of regulatory permit compliance, regional monitoring can provide an integrated, holistic view of the environment, allowing managers to obtain a more complete picture of natural variability and cumulative impacts, and more effectively prioritize management actions. By reviewing four long-standing regional monitoring programs that cover portions of all three coasts in the United States–Chesapeake Bay, Tampa Bay, Southern California Bight, and San Francisco Bay–important insights can be gleaned about the benefits that regional monitoring provides to managers. These insights include the underlying reasons that make regional monitoring programs successful, the challenges to maintain relevance and viability in the face of ever-changing technology, competing demands and shifting management priorities. The lessons learned can help other managers achieve similar successes as they seek to establish and reinvigorate their own monitoring programs.

Regional patterns in hydrologic response, a new three-component metric for hydrograph analysis and implications for ecohydrology, Northwest Volcanic Aquifer Study Area, USA

Journal of Hydrology (Elsevier) | June 12th, 2020

Spatial patterns of hydrologic response were examined for the Northwest Volcanic Aquifer Study Area (NVASA). The utility of established hydrograph-separation methods for

Spatial patterns of hydrologic response were examined for the Northwest Volcanic Aquifer Study Area (NVASA). The utility of established hydrograph-separation methods for assessing hydrologic response in permeable volcanic terranes was assessed and a new three-component metric for hydrograph analysis was developed. The new metric, which partitions streamflow into subcomponents defined by the timescales of hydrologic response (e.g., fast-runoff, intermediate-interflow and slow-baseflow), was used to gain a fundamental understanding of the regional hydrology, investigate sub-regional differences, influencing factors, and ecohydrological implications. The combined effects of NVASA’s physiography, climate and geology create a strongly coupled surface-groundwater system that produces copious baseflow and limited quantities of runoff and interflow. Patterns of hydrologic response are influenced by the type and rate of precipitation and permeability of the underlying geology. Under variable precipitation conditions the hydrologic response of volcanic terranes with similar permeability and subsurface-storage capacity can be significantly different. From a water management and ecohydrology perspective, understanding regional patterns of hydrologic response and sub-regional differences is fundamental. Results indicate that minimum-flow methods provide the most conservative estimate of baseflow and may be the most robust for filtering out snowmelt bias in baseflow estimates. Baseflow contributes ∼75% of the perennial streamflow across the NVASA and represents a critical component of the regional water supply that provides critical cold-water habitat.

Regional patterns in the geochemistry of oil-field water, southern San Joaquin Valley, California, USA

Applied Geochemistry (Elsevier) | September 21st, 2018

Chemical and isotopic data for water co-extracted with hydrocarbons in oil and gasfields are commonly used toexamine the source of the formation water and possible impact

Chemical and isotopic data for water co-extracted with hydrocarbons in oil and gasfields are commonly used toexamine the source of the formation water and possible impacts on groundwater in areas of oil and gas de-velopment. Understanding the geochemical variability of oil-field water could help to evaluate its origin anddelineate possible contamination of shallow aquifers in cases where oil-field water is released to the environ-ment. Here we report geochemical and multiple isotope (H, C, O, Sr, Ra) data from 22 oil wells, three sources ofproduced water that are disposed of in injection wells, and two surface disposal ponds in four oilfields in thesouthern San Joaquin Valley, California (Fruitvale, Lost Hills, North and South Belridge). Correlations betweenCl andδ18O, as well as other ions, and gradual increases in salinity with depth, indicate dilution of one or moresaline end-members by meteoric water. The saline end-members, represented by deep samples (610 m–2621 m)in three oil-bearing zones, are characterized by NaeCl composition, near-seawater Cl concentrations (median20,000 mg/L), enrichedδ18OeH2O (median 3.4‰), high ammonium (up to 460 mg-N/L), and relatively highradium activity (226Ra+228Ra = 12.3 Bq/L). The deepest sample has low Na/Cl (0.74), high Ca/Mg (5.0), andlow87Sr/86Sr (0.7063), whereas the shallower samples have higher Na/Cl (0.86–1.2), Ca/Mg near 1, and higher87Sr/86Sr (∼0.7083). The data are consistent with an original seawater source being modified by various depthand lithology dependent diagenetic processes. Dilution by meteoric water occurs naturally on the east side of thevalley, and in association with water-injection activities on the west side. Meteoric-waterflushing, particularlyon the east side, results in lower solute concentrations (minimum total dissolved solids 2730 mg/L) and totalradium (minimum 0.27 Bq/L) in oil-field water, and promotes biodegradation of dissolved organic carbon andhydrocarbon gases like propane. Acetate concentrations andδ13C of dissolved inorganic carbon indicate biogenicmethane production occurs in some shallow oil zones. Natural and human processes produce substantialvariability in the geochemistry of oil-field water that should be considered when evaluating mixing between oil-field waters and groundwater. The variability could result in uncertainty as to detecting the potential source andimpact of oil-field water on groundwater.

Regional Supplement to the Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual: Arid West Region (Version 2.0)

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) | September 9th, 2008

This document is one of a series of Regional Supplements to the Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual, which provides technical guidance and procedures for identi

This document is one of a series of Regional Supplements to the Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual, which provides technical guidance and procedures for identifying and delineating wetlands that may be subject to regulatory jurisdiction under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act or Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act. The development of Regional Supplements is part of a nationwide effort to address regional wetland characteristics and improve the accuracy and efficiency of wetland-delineation procedures. This supplement is applicable to the Arid West Region, which consists of all or portions of 12 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Regional Watershed Modeling and Trends Implementation Plan

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | July 1st, 2019

Regional Watershed Spreadsheet Model (RWSM) Year 5 Progress Report

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

The Regional Watershed Spreadsheet Model (RWSM) is a regional-scale planning tool developed primarily to estimate long-term average annual loads from the small tributari

The Regional Watershed Spreadsheet Model (RWSM) is a regional-scale planning tool developed primarily to estimate long-term average annual loads from the small tributaries surrounding San Francisco Bay, and secondarily to provide supporting information for prioritizing watersheds or areas within watersheds for management actions. The RWSM has been in development since 2010. In previous years, obstacles to calibrating the PCB and Hg models included issues associated with GIS data underlying the Model, a simplistic model structure and parameterization, lack of available empirical data for calibrating concentrations associated with specific land uses and source areas, and the high uncertainty with the empirical calibration dataset. The modeling effort in Years 2014 and 2015 (Year 4 and 5 of the model development) focused on improving the model calibration to attempt to resolve these issues. The major changes included switching from a sediment-based model to a water-based model, elimination of double counting of source areas on top of general land uses, changes in the model calibration approach, and changes to the land use grouping.

Relationship between wetland size and CRAM condition scores for depressional wetlands

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | March 28th, 2016