RMP NewsVolume 1, Issue 1

Regional Monitoring News, Summer 1995

Contents

Highlights from the 1994 Findings of the
RMP
RMP Update
The RMP Public Information Program
RMP Committee Representatives
SFEI Staff Contacts
Staff Profile: Jung Yoon
Calendar
Announcements

Highlights from the 1994 Findings
of the Regional Monitoring Program for Trace Substances

by Rainer Hoenicke, Ph.D.

The 1994 Draft Annual Report will shortly be sent to the printer, and
subsequently distributed to participating agencies and interested parties.
In this second Annual Report for the RMP, SFEI staff placed greater emphasis
on interpreting the findings, rather than just presenting descriptions
of contaminant concentrations. Although still far from an exhaustive analysis,
this year's Annual Report attempts to place findings in some perspective
with relevant data from other studies and explain some of the spatial
and temporal patterns that were observed. We would appreciate receiving
your comments, be they scientific in nature or related to the level of
integration of information.

Unlike the preceding year, 1994 was dry and produced only about half
of the 1993 peak flows into the Estuary. This may have significantly
influenced contaminant levels and distributions. The original 16 sampling
stations were augmented by eight. Two of these stations were added on
a trial basis upon request by the Regional Board in the vicinity of
the wastewater outfalls of the Cities of San Jose and Sunnyvale. However,
not all parameters were measured at all stations at all times in all
three media (water, sediment, or bivalve tissue).

Highlight findings from the second year of monitoring are :

As in 1993, concentrations of PCBs in water were well above guideline
levels established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the
Regional Water Quality Control Board at all of the stations sampled.
Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) levels in water were higher in 1994,
particularly in the South Bay, than the previous year. Concentrations
of total copper, mercury and nickel were often above U.S. EPA criteria,
but unlike 1993 measurements, concentrations of lead and chromium were
below water quality criteria. Copper, in particular, had wide-spread
elevations. Seven individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)
compounds and p,p'-DDE (a break-down product of DDT) were above water
quality criteria. The insecticide diazinon was...