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Assessment of the condition of San Francisco Bay Area depressional wetlands

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | March 23rd, 2017

Summary

Depressional wetlands are the most abundant, yet most threatened wetland type in California. Despite their relatively ubiquitous nature, they are poorly characterized, an

Depressional wetlands are the most abundant, yet most threatened wetland type in California. Despite their relatively ubiquitous nature, they are poorly characterized, and unlike streams, they are not subject to any systematic ambient monitoring and assessment in California. Consequently, decisions regarding protection, restoration, and management, such as issuance of Section 401 water quality certifications or prioritization of projects for wetland restoration grant funding, are usually made without the benefit of any regional context of condition, knowledge of predominant stressors, or rigorous documentation of reference conditions. The goals of this study were to apply tools for ambient monitoring of depressional wetlands in the San Francisco Bay region to accomplish the following: 1) To evaluate the regional condition of depressional wetlands in this portion of northern California, and 2) To evaluate the relationship between condition and stress by sampling both local stressors (intensity of direct wetland use, water chemistry, and sediment chemistry) and landscape stressors (adjacent land use, flow diversions, and road density). Once achieved, these goals should establish the foundation for developing a robust ambient depressional wetland monitoring program. This study included perennial (have surface water year round) and seasonal (lack surface water for part of the year) depressional wetlands as defined by Brinson (1993) located within the boundaries of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. Depressional wetlands in this study includes both natural water bodies such as sag ponds and small lakes, as well as created wetlands such as abandoned or active stock ponds, aesthetic ponds, and irrigation/treatment ponds. Wetlands were not considered for this study if they were concrete lined, marine influenced, wastewater treatment ponds, livestock wastewater ponds, riverine (i.e., dominated by riverine hydrology), dry, or vernal pools. It is likely that a majority of wetlands sampled in this study would be considered waters of the State of California; the field teams did not perform a regulatory-based delineation of a wetland as part of this study. Thirty wetlands in the San Francisco Bay area were sampled during the spring of 2014, including both perennial and seasonal wetlands. The proportion of wetlands in the region considered “likely intact” (scores in the upper 50th percentile of the range found at reference sites) varied by indicator.

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Assessment of the condition of Southern California depressional wetlands

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | April 18th, 2016

Summary

Application of Macroinvertebrate, Diatom and Overall Condition Indices for Assessing Southern California Depressional Wetlands Depressional wetlands are the most abund

Application of Macroinvertebrate, Diatom and Overall Condition Indices for Assessing Southern California Depressional Wetlands Depressional wetlands are the most abundant, yet most threatened wetland type in California. Despite their relatively ubiquitous nature, they are poorly characterized, and unlike streams, they are not subject to any systematic monitoring and assessment. Consequently, decisions regarding protection, restoration, and management are usually made without the benefit of any regional context of condition, knowledge of predominant stressors, or rigorous documentation of reference conditions. Ambient monitoring of depressional wetlands can be a critical tool to inform management decisions. However, before such a program can be implemented, biological assessment tools must be evaluated, validated, and modified (if necessary). Once these steps are completed, preliminary assessments can begin to provide answers to critical questions regarding wetland condition and key stressors. The goals of this study were 1) to adapt three readily available bioassessment tools for assessing depressional wetland condition in southern California. This included a statewide rapid assessment method that had been calibrated and validated for depressional wetlands (CRAM) but had no prior use in a regional assessment program, a macroinvertebrate index developed for depressional wetlands from a different geography (northern California), and a benthic diatom index which had been developed for a different habitat type (wadeable streams). 2) To evaluate the regional condition of depressional wetlands in southern California using the adapted tools. 3) To evaluate the relationship between condition and stress by sampling both local stressors (intensity of direct wetland use, water chemistry and sediment toxicity) and landscape stressors (adjacent land use, flow diversions, road density). Once achieved, these goals should establish the foundation for developing a robust and ongoing depressional wetland ambient monitoring program. This study included perennial or seasonal depressional wetlands as defined by Brinson (1993) located within the boundaries of the Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Boards. Wetlands were not considered for this study if they were concrete-lined, marine-influenced, treatment ponds, livestock wastewater ponds, riverine (i.e. dominated by riverine hydrology), dry (i.e. not seasonal), or on-military bases (due to access issues). Vernal pools were also excluded; while these are considered a subclass of depressional wetlands, they represent a distinct wetland habitat that is typically evaluated with specific methods. Furthermore, given their rarity and ecological sensitivity they are often assessed through focused studies.

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Base of fresh ground water (approximately 3,000 micromhos) in the San Joaquin Valley, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | June 30th, 1971

Summary

Widespread pumping of groundwater in the San Joaquin Valley began about 1900, and since 1940 pumpage has increased at an accelerated rate. In response to the heavy withdr

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Benthic Invertebrate and Deposited Sediment TMDL Guidance for the Pajaro River Watershed

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | March 1st, 2016

Summary

The Pajaro River and its tributaries are exposed to sediments from a variety of sources. To establish limits for regulating this pollutant, it is necessary to u

The Pajaro River and its tributaries are exposed to sediments from a variety of sources. To establish limits for regulating this pollutant, it is necessary to understand how and where deposition of sediments impact biological health. Benthic, or bottom-dwelling, invertebrates offer a direct way to assess the impacts of deposited sediment on the integrity of stream ecosystems. The channel bed is where sediments accumulate and persist, so benthic macroinvertebrates that live in this ha bitat provide a responsive indicator of the effect of these sediments. Previous criteria for bedded sediment fines in spawning gravels have been established for salmonids, but these may not be appropriate to all stream segments, are not typically measured in stream assessments, and are confounded by other factors limiting steelhead vitality. Instead, the effects of sediment cover can be evaluated using benthic macroinvertebrates (BMIs) as indicators of stream condition to assess any stream segment and can be related to the bioassessment and stream habitat surveys of the Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP) . The approach taken in this study was to select 25 sites throughout the perennial Pajaro watershed and in the adjacent upper Coyote Creek watershed that represented a cross-section of land uses, above and below reservoirs (unregulated/regulated flows), and in varied geographic settings that would permit examining source area influences on sediment deposition. Rather than define conventional TMDL estimates for daily loads of sediment, a more relevant survey of the cover of deposited fine and sand (FS) sediments on the stream bed was used here to find the level at which BMIs lost integrity of species c omposition and diversity. BMI responses we re-examined at the reach scale (50-meter channel length ) and at local patch scales (30x3 0 cm) of varied FS sedim ent cover . The data were used to define target levels at which sediment impairs stream bed habitat quality. Reaches of varied sediment cover were compared to conditions at relatively undisturbed reference streams of the Central Coast region to evaluate sediment impacts. Significant loss of species diversity and altered community type occurred above a sediment cover range of 40% FS at both reach and local-patch scales. In a range of 20-40% FS , BMI diversity declined, showing incipient losses of biological integrity . Richness of mayfly, stonefly and caddisfly taxa richness (EPT) was used as an indicator of biological effects of sediment, and reduced diversity associated with sediment increase corresponded to declines below the criterion 10th percentile of reference site EPT found in other central coast streams . Because of multiple stressors, some streams may not achieve these sediment or EPT targets just by improving the local sediment condition . For example, streams that are regulated (below reservoirs) or in arid regions may be influenced by temperature, dissolved minerals and/or elevated pH , in addition to sediment . Rankings of streams surveyed were based either on sediment cover within the wetted stream width or the entire bankfull channel profile, accounting for both current habitat conditions and recent environmental exposure . Although the design of this study examined sediment deposition at different spatial scales and used a variety of sediment measures, the results are compatible with habitat and bioassessment surveys using standard SWAMP protocols. Only three to five of the 25 streams surveyed in the Pajaro region showed sediment and diversity levels indicating likely sediment deposition impacts. Results from this study can be used to identify streams where sediment degradation to biological integrity is likely (at >40% FS) , and those in a warning range (20-40% FS) that should be flagged for further assessment.

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Best Management Practices for Sustainable Management of Groundwater: Monitoring Networks and Identification of Data Gaps

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | December 12th, 2016

Summary

The objective of this Best Management Practice (BMP) is to assist in the development of Monitoring Networks and Identification of Data Gaps. The California Department of

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Bioanalytical and chemical-specific screening of contaminants of concern in three California (USA) watersheds

Heliyon (Elsevier) | May 5th, 2022

Summary

To broaden the scope of contaminants monitored in human-impacted riverine systems, water, sediment, and treated wastewater effluent were analyzed using receptor-based cel

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Biological Condition of Non-Perennial Streams and Spring-Fed Oases in the Colorado River Basin Region

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | August 22nd, 2014

Summary

The Colorado River Basin Regional Water Board conducted bioassessment sampling at high-quality (i.e., “reference”) streams in their region during 2013-2015. The purpo

The Colorado River Basin Regional Water Board conducted bioassessment sampling at high-quality (i.e., “reference”) streams in their region during 2013-2015. The purpose of the study was to characterize the biological condition of these streams, which had never been done before, and to expand ongoing research as to whether existing biological indices, developed primarily for perennial streams, apply in nonperennial streams. The latter are usually excluded from bioassessment surveys, but make up the majority of stream length in the most arid parts of the state like the Colorado River Basin, leaving stream condition assessments in such regions largely incomplete. The indices evaluated were the California Stream Condition Index (CSCI) based on benthic macroinvertebrates and the first to have statewide applicability in perennial streams, and the D18 and S2 indices for diatoms and soft algae, respectively, developed for use in perennial streams of southern coastal California. Sixteen sites were sampled during the 3-year period, and data loggers that measure water depth were deployed for 2 of the 3 years to characterize the hydrologic regime at each site. Most sites were nonperennial, but a few were spring-fed perennial oases. Fourteen of the sites passed formal reference screening criteria developed by statewide programs. The CSCI and S2 indices had generally good applicability in the region, with most samples from reference sites indicated either good or fair (i.e., non-degraded) biological condition. The mean CSCI score at regional reference sites was slightly lower than the statewide mean (i.e., 0.90 vs. 1.0, respectively), but the difference could be an artifact of a relatively small regional data set. The fact that CSCI and S2 performed as well as they did in a region, and in a set of stream types, largely excluded from their development indicates that the indices can be used in nonperennial streams (and spring-fed oases) in the Colorado River Basin as long as certain minimum flow conditions are met, such as sustained flow for several weeks prior to sampling and sufficient wetted width to employ existing protocols developed for perennial streams. By contrast, the D18 index did not perform well in the region. A majority of samples from reference sites indicated poor or very poor biological condition when condition thresholds based on statewide data sets were used, but even when more relaxed thresholds based on just south coast reference sites were applied, the number of reference sites in good or fair condition was still much lower than expected. This was not a result of regional reference sites being of low quality, but was most likely an artifact of applying the index to a set a stream types unintended for its use. Development of statewide algal indices is underway, which may improve the performance of diatom indices in the southern desert.

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Bisphenols in San Francisco Bay: Wastewater, Stormwater, and Margin Sediment Monitoring

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | October 28th, 2022

Summary

Bisphenols are a class of synthetic, mobile, endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Bisphenol A (BPA), the most well-studied bisphenol, is produced and used in vast quantities w

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Blurred lines: Multiple freshwater and marine algal toxins at the land-sea interface of San Francisco Bay, California

Harmful Algae (Elsevier) | March 10th, 2018

Summary

San Francisco Bay (SFB) is a eutrophic estuary that harbors both freshwater and marine toxigenic organisms that are responsible for harmful algal blooms. While there are

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Building Capacity of the California Wetland Program Plan to Protect and Restore Vernal Pools

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | June 30th, 2022

Summary

The California Wetland Program Plan (WPP1) seeks to strengthen protection for wetlands in many ways, including building capacity to track the net benefits of wetland poli

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Assessment of the condition of San Francisco Bay Area depressional wetlands

Assessment of the condition of Southern California depressional wetlands

Base of fresh ground water (approximately 3,000 micromhos) in the San Joaquin Valley, California

Benthic Invertebrate and Deposited Sediment TMDL Guidance for the Pajaro River Watershed

Best Management Practices for Sustainable Management of Groundwater: Monitoring Networks and Identification of Data Gaps

Bioanalytical and chemical-specific screening of contaminants of concern in three California (USA) watersheds

Biological Condition of Non-Perennial Streams and Spring-Fed Oases in the Colorado River Basin Region

Bisphenols in San Francisco Bay: Wastewater, Stormwater, and Margin Sediment Monitoring

Blurred lines: Multiple freshwater and marine algal toxins at the land-sea interface of San Francisco Bay, California

Building Capacity of the California Wetland Program Plan to Protect and Restore Vernal Pools

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