Practical methods to find polluted areas in urban stormwater catchments to support management actions

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | January 14th, 2022

Predictions of groundwater PFAS occurrence at drinking water supply depths in the United States

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) | October 24th, 2024

Pulse of the Delta 2011

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | March 16th, 2011

Welcome to the first issue of the Pulse of the Delta: Monitoring and Managing Water Quality in the Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta, the new publication of the emerging D

Welcome to the first issue of the Pulse of the Delta: Monitoring and Managing Water Quality in the Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta, the new publication of the emerging Delta Regional Monitoring Program (RMP). This report is a direct response to Delta RMP stakeholders’ desire for an accessible water quality summary for the Delta that addresses important regional questions. Table of Contents: Did Contaminants Play a Role in the Pelagic Organism Decline? The Delta RMP: Re-thinking Water Quality Monitoring in the Delta Ammonia in the Delta: The science, implications for management How Delta Studies Have Reshaped Our Understanding Pyrethroid Insecticides Contaminants of Emerging Concern: Adapting to a Moving Target New Pesticides

Pulse of the Delta 2012

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | August 2nd, 2013

This second edition of the Pulse of the Delta includes the following sections: The KEY TOPIC article introduces this year’s theme, LINKING SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT THR

This second edition of the Pulse of the Delta includes the following sections: The KEY TOPIC article introduces this year’s theme, LINKING SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT THROUGH REGIONAL MONITORING (PAGE 6). The MANAGEMENT UPDATE section provides updates on Delta RMP development (PAGE 12) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Delta Clean Water Act evaluation (PAGE 18). It further provides an update on the development of Nutrient Numeric Endpoints for San Francisco Bay, due to the relevance of this topic to Delta stakeholders (PAGE 28). And as a new feature, the Management Update section now also provides a regulatory status update for pollutants of concern. This edition of the Pulse of the Delta introduces a NEW STATUS AND TRENDS section with updates on important monitoring results (PAGE 44) and leading indicators (PAGE 50) for the Delta. The STATUS AND TRENDS section was made possible thanks to significant contributions by the Interagency Ecological Program, U.S. Geological Survey, the Central Valley Regional Water Board, California Department of Fish and Game, California Department of Water Resources, and scientists at the UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University Romberg Tiburon Center. Two FEATURE ARTICLES provide an overview of recent research findings that could help wetland managers reduce the methylmercury problem and a glimpse into the future of the Interagency Ecological Program (IEP). One of the main challenges as ecosystem restoration efforts are moving forward will be the mercury problem. Large-scale restoration of wetland areas will be required to provide a sufficient amount of aquatic habitat for restoring the Delta ecosystem. At the same time, water quality managers will need to identify actions to protect people and wildlife from exposure to methylmercury that may originate from restored wetlands, due to a legacy of mercury contamination in Delta soils. Recently completed and ongoing studies in the Yolo Bypass provide new information on management options for controlling methylmercury production in wetlands and offsite transport (PAGE 66). IEP scientists have been monitoring and researching the San Francisco Estuary since 1970. Now the IEP has arrived at an important crossroads, and its future is being decided at the same time as environmental managers are determining what a desirable future ecosystem would look like, how it would function, and how it can be established (PAGE 76).

Recent advances in understanding flow dynamics and transport of water-quality constituents in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | December 1st, 2016

This chapter describes advances during the past decade in understanding flow dynamics and how water-quality constituents, such as salinity, heat, oxygen, nutrients, conta

This chapter describes advances during the past decade in understanding flow dynamics and how water-quality constituents, such as salinity, heat, oxygen, nutrients, contaminants, and more, move within California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Water-quality constituents are affected by water diversions and other human manipulations of flow and they greatly affect the quantity and quality of habitats in the Delta. Along with human intervention, the Pacific Ocean, the Central Valley watershed, and the atmosphere, are a few drivers of flow and transport in the Delta. These drivers provide a conceptual framework for presenting recent findings. The tremendous expansion of acoustic and optical instruments utilized in the Delta over the past decade has greatly improved our understanding of how tidal variability affects flow and transport. Sediment is increasingly viewed as a diminishing resource needed to sustain habitat and tidal marsh, especially as sea level rises. Connections between the watershed, Delta, and San Francisco Bay that have been studied recently highlight that a landscape view of this system is needed rather than consideration of each region individually. Interactions of multiple drivers and information gaps are discussed.

Reconnaissance of Acid Drainage Sources and Preliminary Evaluation of Remedial Alternatives at the Copper Bluff Mine, Hoopa Valley Reservation, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | August 26th, 2003

Acidic drainage from the inactive Copper Bluff mine cascades down a steep embankment into the Trinity River, on the Hoopa Valley Reservation in northern California. The C

Acidic drainage from the inactive Copper Bluff mine cascades down a steep embankment into the Trinity River, on the Hoopa Valley Reservation in northern California. The Copper Bluff mine produced about 100,000 tons of sulfide-bearing copper-zinc-gold-silver ore during 1957–1962. This report summarizes the results of a water-resources investigation begun by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1994 with the overall objective of gathering sufficient geochemical, hydrologic, and geologic information so that a sound remediation strategy for the Copper Bluff mine could be selected and implemented by the Hoopa Valley Tribe. This study had the following specific objectives: (1) monitor the quality and quantity of the mine discharge, (2) determine seasonal variability of metal concentrations and loads, (3) map and sample the underground mine workings to determine sources of flow and suitability of mine plugging options, and (4) analyze the likely consequences of various remediation and treatment options.

Recycled Water Research Needs in California: Monitoring and Treatment Performance for Constituents of Emerging Concern

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | April 4th, 2017

The California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) held a workshop on October 27-28, 2015 in Costa Mesa focused on the state of the science, monitorin

The California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) held a workshop on October 27-28, 2015 in Costa Mesa focused on the state of the science, monitoring techniques, and water treatment reliability for constituents of emerging concern (CECs) in recycled water. The goal of the workshop was to help the State Water Board identify knowledge gaps to identify and prioritize CEC monitoring and treatment activities that will ensure water supplies from recycled water, including potable reuse, are protective of public health and the environment. The workshop included presentations from experts regarding monitoring and treatment performance for CECs, as well as breakout sessions intended to review and discuss the most important CEC research needs. At the conclusion of each day, a summary of recommendations based on the breakout discussions was developed by the participants. Below are general takeaway messages developed during the workshop. These messages reflect discussions at the workshop and are not intended to represent the views of all participants.

Regional Monitoring Program (RMP) Field Sampling Report 2016

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

The Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (RMP) is the primary source for long-term contaminant monitoring information for the Bay. The RMP

The Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (RMP) is the primary source for long-term contaminant monitoring information for the Bay. The RMP is an innovative and collaborative effort among the scientific community, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (Water Board), and the regulated discharger community. The Program was initiated by the Water Board as a pilot study in 1989 and has been collecting water, sediment, and bivalve tissue data since its official inception in 1993. Regular monitoring of sport fish tissue and bird eggs for toxic contaminants was incorporated into the Program in 1997 and 2006, respectively.

Regional Monitoring Program (RMP) for Water Quality in the San Francisco Bay, Multi-Year Plan 2020 Annual Update

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | January 6th, 2020

In 1992 the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board passed Resolution No. 92-043 directing the Executive Officer to send a letter to regulated dischargers requiring the

In 1992 the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board passed Resolution No. 92-043 directing the Executive Officer to send a letter to regulated dischargers requiring them to implement a regional multi-media pollutant monitoring program for water quality (RMP) in San Francisco Bay. The Water Board’s regulatory authority to require such a program comes from California Water Code Sections 13267, 13383, 13268 and 13385. The Water Board offered to suspend some effluent and local receiving water monitoring requirements for individual discharges to provide cost savings to implement baseline portions of the RMP, although they recognized additional resources would be necessary. The Resolution also included a provision that the requirement for a RMP be included in discharger permits. The RMP began in 1993, and over ensuing years has been a successful and effective partnership of regulatory agencies and the regulated community.

Regional Monitoring Program (RMP) Small Tributaries Loading Strategy: Modeling and Trends Strategy 2018

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | September 3rd, 2018

The Small Tributaries Loading Strategy (STLS) (SFEI, 2009) is a collaboration between the RMP, the Water Board, and Bay Area stormwater programs to address information n

The Small Tributaries Loading Strategy (STLS) (SFEI, 2009) is a collaboration between the RMP, the Water Board, and Bay Area stormwater programs to address information needs associated with improving understanding about the sources, pathways, loads, trends, and management opportunities in relation to watershed-derived pollutants of concern (POCs). Elements contained in this Strategy may be conducted via RMP collaborative efforts, or independently by the Water Board or Bay Area stormwater programs outside of, but in coordination with the RMP. The current priority POCs are mercury (Hg) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), for which there are identified impairments and cleanup plans in place. The San Francisco Bay Hg and PCBs total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) reports (SFRWQCB, 2006; SFRWQCB, 2007) call for a reduction in tributary loads by 50% and 90%, respectively. In response, from 2010-2015, during the first term of the Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP 1.0) (SFRWQCB, 2009; 2011), a number of pilot efforts were initiated, focusing mainly on PCBs, to better understand the potential cost-effectiveness for a range of management options and the level of opportunity (the number of polluted sites or the amount of mass associated with polluted sites, property ownership and other factors). During the second term of the MRP (MRP 2.0) (SFRWQCB, 2015), efforts have been made to move from pilot testing to a greater amount of focused implementation. All of these past, current, and future efforts also aim to address (but at a lesser level) multiple benefits for other POCs including current-use pesticides and emerging contaminants, for which there is interest in monitoring the potential for biological impact. These are lower priority at the present, but in the longer term, the STLS Trends Strategy could address these and other POCs in a more focused manner.