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Projects


California Bay-Delta Authority Fish Mercury Project

Total Funding:
Total $4,513,819, SFEI portion $1 million.

Project Funder:
California Bay-Delta Authority

Lead Scientist:
Jay Davis

Collaborators:
UCD, SJSUF, DHS, OEHHA

Project Description:
This pilot program will establish a foundation for state-of-the-science regional monitoring of mercury in the watershed coupled with stakeholder involvement and risk communication. Conducted in close coordination with other monitoring, research, restoration, remediation, and risk communication efforts in the watershed in an adaptive management approach, this program offers the best prospect for achieving short-term and long-term reductions in mercury exposure in the watershed.

 

CISNet San Pablo Bay Study

Total Funding:
Total $298,224, SFEI portion $146,509.

Project Funder:
US EPA

Lead Scientist:
Bruce Thompson, Jay Davis

Collaborators:

Geoff Schladow, UC Davis is the Lead PI, other co investigators are Inge Werner, UCD, Nadav Nur, PRBO, Tom Young, UCD.

Project Description:
The objective was to design a monitoring network that is temporally and spatially adequate to provide advance warning of the ecological impacts of natural and anthropogenic stressors. Understanding fluxes and variations in stressors within the system at a range of time-scales will permit optimal selection of monitoring indicators, locations, and temporal frequencies for future monitoring.

NOAA – EMAP San Francisco Bay Study

Total Funding:
Variable annually since 1999.

Project Funder:
US EPA through SCCWRP

Lead Scientist:
Bruce Thompson

Collaborators:
Walt Nelson, EPA, Corvallis is the West Coast Lead. The project includes participants from agencies and organizations in Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, Alaska, and California.

Project Description:
SFEI is participating in West Coast EMAP studies, including planning, coordination of SF Estuary benthic voucher collection taxonomy, and data conversion to EMAP formats. The 2000-01 SF Estuary study was a milestone study that samples nearly 200 sites throughout the Estuary. This data will provide important information about sediment chemistry, toxicity, benthos, and fish tissues in areas that have not been previously sampled.

Grasslands Bypass Project Compliance Monitoring Phase 2

Total Funding:
~$60k/yr

Project Funder:
USBR

Lead Scientist:
Donald Yee

Collaborators:

USBR, CVRWQCB, USGS, USFWS, Block Env. Services, Summers Eng., Grassland Area Farmers, (multiple people from each institution)

Project Description:
This project continues to monitor impacts of the use of a portion of the San Luis Drain for conveyance of agricultural discharge. SFEI collects and disseminates data generated by the participating institutions. Monthly, quarterly, and (coming soon) annual data reports are currently presented on a web page for USBR and public data users. Narrative annual reports (coauthored by the various agencies) and other technical reports (or links to them) could be placed on the site as well in the future. The data generating participants retain ultimate ownership control of the data.

CTR Ambient Monitoring

Total Funding:
~$120k/yr

Project Funder:
BACWA (2002), RMP (2003)

Lead Scientist:
Donald Yee

Collaborators:
UCSC, CCCSD, Axys Analytical, Caltest, Frontier Analytical, Toxscan, Pacific Analytical

Project Description:
This project monitors in SF Estuary ambient waters concentrations of California Toxics Rule priority pollutants not previously measured by RMP. The results of this study will be used to revise RMP monitoring in the future. A report with preliminary results will be completed in 2002. A final report will be made in 2003, and monitoring beyond that will be fully incorporated in RMP reporting.

Chronic Toxicity of Environmental Contaminants in Sacramento Splittail (Pogonichthys acrolepidotus): A Biomarker Approach

Total Funding:
$180,000, $33,000 for SFEI

Project Funder:
CALFED

Lead Scientist:
Swee The, UC Davis

Collaborators:
Swee The and Silas Hung, UC Davis; Gary Ichikawa, CDFG

Project Description:
A collaborative project with SFEI and UC Davis to assess the possible impact of contaminants on Sacramento splittail. SFEI’s contribution is coordination of sampling and chemical analysis, and interpreting concentrations of contaminants measured in splittail caught in the Delta.

Completed work products that could be linked to web page:
None yet

Sacramento River Watershed Program Fish Tissue Monitoring

Total Funding:
$27,000, $6,000 for SFEI

Project Funder:
SRWP

Lead Scientist:
Jay Davis

Collaborators:
Gary Ichikawa, CDFG

Project Description:
Continuing program to collect, analyze and report on fish tissue contamination in the Sacramento River. Jay Davis is the PI, and coordinator of the Fish Focus Group for the Monitoring Committee of the SRWP.

Work Products:

2003 Projects

Indicators of Estuary Condition

Total Funding:
$20,000, additional funding available for 2003-4.

Project Funder:
US EPA through the San Francisco Estuary Project

Lead Scientist:

Collaborators:

Andy Gunther, CEMAR; Anitra Pauley, TBI.

Project Description:
Develop a set of environmental indicators of the condition of San Francisco Estuary, for SFEP. A suite of indicators for water and sediment quality, the condition of various habitats (e.g. wetlands, key watersheds), the condition of the biological resources (e.g. mammals, birds, fish, invertebrates, plants), and threatened and endangered species, is envisioned.

NOAA – EMAP San Francisco Bay Study

Total Funding:
$33,800 for 2003, variable annually

Project Funder:
US EPA through SCCWRP

Lead Scientist:
Bruce Thompson, Sarah Lowe will manage the project.

Collaborators:
Walt Nelson, EPA, Corvallis is the West Coast Lead.

Project Description:
Participation, planning, benthic voucher specimen verification, data conversion, shipboard sampling in 2003.

SWRCB Benthic Biocriteria

Total Funding:
$20,000 in 2003

Project Funder:
SWRCB through SCCWRP

Lead Scientist:
Bruce Thompson

Collaborators:
Ananda Ranasinghe, SCCWRP is the lead investigator.

Project Description:
Intercalibrate and evaluate benthic assessment methods developed in southern California and San Francisco Estuary for possible use as numeric biological objectives in California.

Bay Delta Science Consortium Data Workshops

Total Funding:
$30,000 for 2003

Project Funder:
DWR

Lead Scientists:
Bruce Thompson, Daniel Oros

Collaborators:
Karl Jacobs, Cindy Messer, DWR, Jim Quinn, UCD

Project Description:
Plan and conduct workshops to standardize nomenclature for benthic invertebrate taxonomy and chemical names. These standards will be proposed for use by the Bay-Delta agencies and organizations to facilitate data transfer and use.

Grasslands Bypass Project Compliance Monitoring Phase 2

Total Funding:
~$60k/yr

Project Funder:
USBR

Lead Scientist:
Donald Yee

Collaborators:
USBR, CVRWQCB, USGS, USFWS, Block Env. Services, Summers Eng., Grassland Area Farmers, (multiple people from each institution)

Project Description:
This project continues to monitor impacts of the use of a portion of the San Luis Drain for conveyance of agricultural discharge. SFEI collects and disseminates data generated by the participating institutions. Monthly, quarterly, and (coming soon) annual data reports are currently presented on a web page for USBR and public data users. Narrative annual reports (coauthored by the various agencies) and other technical reports (or links to them) could be placed on the site as well in the future. The data generating participants retain ultimate ownership control of the data.

Chronic Toxicity of Environmental Contaminants in Sacramento Splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus): A Biomarker Approach

Total Funding:
$180,000, $33,000 for SFEI

Project Funder:
CALFED

Lead Scientist:
Swee The, UC Davis

Collaborators:
Swee The and Silas Hung, UC Davis; Gary Ichikawa, CDFG

Project Description:
A collaborative project with SFEI and UC Davis to assess the possible impact of contaminants on Sacramento splittail. SFEI’s contribution is coordination of sampling and chemical analysis, and interpreting concentrations of contaminants measured in splittail caught in the Delta.

Work Products:
None yet

Sacramento River Watershed Program Fish Tissue Monitoring

Funding:
$27,000, $6,000 for SFEI

Project Funder:
SRWP

Lead Scientist:
Jay Davis

Collaborators:
Gary Ichikawa, CDFG

Project Description:
Continuing program to collect, analyze and report on fish tissue contamination in the Sacramento River. Jay Davis is the PI, and coordinator of the Fish Focus Group for the Monitoring Committee of the SRWP.

Work Products:
SRWP Annual Reports

CISNet San Pablo Bay Study
The objective of this study was to design a monitoring network that is temporally and spatially adequate to provide advance warning of the ecological impacts of natural and anthropogenic stressors. Understanding fluxes and variations in stressors (e.g. suspended sediments, freshwater flow, tides, currents) within the system at a range of time-scales will permit optimal selection of monitoring indicators, locations, and temporal frequencies for future monitoring. Indicators examined include sediment contamination, sediment toxicity tests using resident organisms (Potamocorbula, Ampelisca), benthic invertebrates, bird egg hatching success, Cormorant egg contamination and resident fish tissue contamination. A final report is being prepared by the invstigators.

NOAA-EMAP San Francisco Bay Study
The 2000-01 SF Estuary study was a milestone study that samples nearly 200 sites throughout the Estuary. This data will provide important information about sediment chemistry, toxicity, benthos, and fish tissues in areas that have not been previously sampled. Sample analysis is nearly complete and integration of data will begin in 2003, with a report expected by year end.

Grasslands
Project monitoring indicates that the management actions taken have resulted in most of the desired outcomes. Total selenium loads have been greatly reduced, with much of the selenium deposited in the San Luis Drain rather than discharging to the San Joaquin River. Episodic toxicity events showing no relationship to selenium concentrations periodically impact organisms in lab toxicity tests, but events have not been of sufficient duration to perform successful TIEs.

  • Grassland Bypass Project:
    An ongoing program to provide database management, provide monthly and quarterly reports, and produce an annual report. Funded by Bureau of Reclamation, Don Yee is the PI.