RMP News Volume 4, Issue 1 |
RMP Investigates The Air Deposition and Water Quality LinkBy Eric Papp, City of San JoseWater quality experts know that pollutants affecting water quality in the Bay have many sources, one of which is air deposition. Particles or gases are released into the atmosphere by either natural or anthropogenic sources and may be transported great distances before being deposited. Deposition mechanisms include precipitation, dry deposition of vapors and particles, and cloud and fogwater deposition. These pollutants then find their way into larger water bodies. While the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board) regulates both point and nonpoint sources of pollution, air as a pollutant transport vehicle has not received much attention. This is primarily because measuring air deposition is difficult, and the uncertainties as to what magnitude of pollutant loading is due to air deposition are large. Despite these uncertainties, an agreement was drafted in 1987 in the Great Lakes region called the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement that added the monitoring of airborne toxics. As a result, the Great Lakes region has now developed a more complete mass balance concept that includes several different nonpoint sources in addition to airborne toxic substances, and the Great Lakes Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network has been monitoring pollutant loading from air deposition since 1990. Lessons learned in the Great Lakes region may be applicable in our efforts to understand the relative magnitude of pollutant transport and deposition onto surface waters from the air. Should air deposition loading be monitored in the San Francisco Bay?This question has, in part, been answered by the RMP Steering Committee through their support of a Pilot Study. In addition, the City of San Jose, in their efforts to meet receiving water quality criteria for copper and nickel, has been at the forefront of quantifying this component of pollutant loads to the Estuary in order to prioritize resource allocations for pollution control and prevention measures. The City has teamed up with the RMP to jointly develop a monitoring effort for air deposition. The objective of this Pilot Study is to measure the magnitude of pollutant loading deposited directly into the Bay from air deposition. Preliminary studies spearheaded by the City of San Jose and conducted at the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant have measured more than 0.2 mg/m2 of nickel deposited in a 2-week period. Over a one-year period, it is estimated that as much as 5.2 mg/m2 or approximately 500 pounds of nickel is deposited into the South Bay (the South Bay is defined for this purpose as the area south of the Dumbarton Bridge, approximately 41 km2). This amount is roughly 20% of the total nickel discharged by the San Jose/Santa Clara Treatment Plant. These figures are preliminary; actual figures will likely have to be adjusted, since sampling and measurement techniques are still under development. Alternative methods of nickel reduction, such as from air deposition are, however, worth investigating, since it is possible that current water treatment technology has reached a performance threshold with respect to nickel removal. The Air Deposition Monitoring Pilot StudyIn mid-1997 the San Jose Environmental Services Department and SFEI established a Science Advisory Group on Air Deposition made up of scientists and experts from academia and local and state agencies to discuss potential issues of concern when measuring air deposition. Since its inception, draft proposals and work plans have been reviewed and modified. Issues still under discussion include: sampling devices to monitor wet- and dry-air deposition, location of stations, monitoring frequency, and identification of potential biases in air deposition monitoring. Initially, metals will be the focus of the Pilot Study with organic sampling planned for the following year. More sampling stations with the agreed-upon sampling devices will be selected and put into operation in the summer of 1998. Related Non-RMP StudiesThe San Francisco Estuary Project, together with the Bay Area Stormwater
Management Agencies Association (BASMAA) recently applied for EPA funding
under the US EPA's Great Waters Initiative. The proposed study will collectively
obtain information in partnership with the RMP, the City of San Jose, and
the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Project in Southern California to assess
the magnitude of pollutant deposition to land surfaces and subsequent transport
to creeks and other surface waters. Preliminary work by BASMAA and the
City of San Jose has lead to a literature review and the discovery of data
gaps which need further examination.
Organophosphate Insecticide Use in The Bay AreaBy Jay Davis, SFEIOrganophosphate insecticides are among the contaminants of greatest concern in the Estuary (see Flea Killers in the Estuary, RMP News Volume 2, Issue 2). This category of chemicals includes some of the most popular pesticides in current usage, such as chlorpyrifos (Dursban) and diazinon. Concentrations of chlorpyrifos and diazinon in RMP samples are frequently near or above criteria for protection of aquatic life. Furthermore, toxicity observed in RMP water toxicity tests has been correlated with concentrations of chlorpyrifos. Pesticide Use ReportingUnderstanding the uses of these chemicals is essential to developing strategies for monitoring their presence in the Estuary and to identifying ways of preventing their entry into the Estuary. One valuable source of information that is available on pesticide use in California is the Pesticide Use Reporting Program (PURP) run by the California Environmental Protection Agency's Department of Pesticide Regulation. This program is the most comprehensive pesticide use reporting program in the world. The PURP tracks agricultural applications of pesticides throughout the state. California has a broad legal definition of "agricultural use", so pesticide applications to parks, golf courses, and other areas are included. In addition, commercial pest control operators (such as ground and aerial applicators, structural pest control operators, and professional gardeners) are also required to report their pesticide usage. Pesticide applicators report the amount applied, the crop or type of use, the number of applications, and the acreage treated. The primary exceptions to the use reporting requirements are home and garden use and most industrial and institutional uses. Chlorpyrifos Use in the Bay AreaPURP data on chlorpyrifos and diazinon use in the nine Bay Area counties in 1995 are shown in Figures 1 and 2. Chlorpyrifos use was about double that of diazinon. A total usage of 200,185 lbs of chlorpyrifos was reported in Bay Area counties in 1995. Most of this amount (75% or 150,976 lbs) was used for structural pest control. An unusually large amount of chlorpyrifos was used for structural pest control in Santa Clara County. In 1995, Santa Clara County used 99,184 lbs of chlorpyrifos, the largest amount by far of any Bay Area county. Structural pest control accounted for 92,447 lbs in Santa Clara County, or 93% of the County total. The statewide total amount of chlorpyrifos applications reported in 1995 for all uses was 3,524,365 lbs. Structural pest control accounted for 611,328 lbs of this statewide total. Fifteen percent of the chlorpyrifos used for structural pest control in California in 1995 was used in Santa Clara County. To further place this amount in perspective, chlorpyrifos applications on almonds, one of the crops associated with chlorpyrifos usage, totaled 153,949 lbs statewide. Other counties with moderately high chlorpyrifos usage were Solano (33,855 lbs), Contra Costa (25,054 lbs), and Alameda (14,161 lbs). In the more urbanized counties, structural pest control was the primary use. In the more agricultural Solano and Sonoma counties other uses, such as on alfalfa or apples, contributed a larger share of the total. Figure 1: Chlorpyrifos Use in Bay Area Counties, 1995 Diazinon Use in the Bay AreaA total usage of 95,857 pounds of diazinon was reported in Bay Area counties in 1995. Structural pest control was again the primary use (51% of the total or 49,118 lbs), but not as predominant as for chlorpyrifos. Santa Clara County again used the largest amount of this pesticide (26,178 lbs), but was followed closely by Contra Costa (23,780 lbs) and Alameda (15,912 lbs). The statewide total amount of diazinon applications reported in 1995 for all uses was 2,376,883 lbs. Structural pest control accounted for 1,419,055 lbs, or 60%, of this statewide total. Unlike chlorpyrifos, diazinon use in the Bay Area did not account for a disproportionate amount of the total statewide use. In the more urbanized counties, structural pest control was the primary use of diazinon. In the more agricultural Solano and Sonoma counties other uses contributed a larger share of the total. Other primary applications of diazinon included alfalfa and landscape maintenance. Figure 2: Diazinon Use in Bay Area Counties, 1995
Implications for the EstuaryChlorpyrifos and diazinon are extremely toxic to sensitive aquatic invertebrates, causing mortality at concentrations in the low parts per trillion. Chlorpyrifos, in addition to being more heavily used in the Bay Area, is significantly more toxic than diazinon. One species of shrimp that lives in the Bay has been shown to suffer significant mortality at a chlorpyrifos concentration of 10 parts per trillion. San Francisco Bay has a volume of 6.7 trillion liters. The theoretical amount of chlorpyrifos needed to bring the entire Bay to a concentration of 10 parts per trillion is therefore 67 kilograms (or 147 lbs). This amount of chlorpyrifos is just 0.15% of the amount reported for Santa Clara County in 1995. The fraction of chlorpyrifos applied for structural pest control and
other purposes in Santa Clara County that reaches the Bay in runoff is
unknown. The magnitude of the amount used, however, does raise concern
that these uses are leading to contamination and toxicity in Bay waters.
The fact that the use totals reported in the PURP do not include home and
garden use or industrial and institutional use further heightens concern
over the uses of chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and other pesticides in the watershed.
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Annual MeetingThe Regional Monitoring Program for Trace Substances held its 4th Annual Meeting on Monday, February 23rd at the Samuel Merrit College Health Education Center in Oakland. Despite the terrible rain, 165 individuals attended this day long event. The meeting
The morning session focused on the Five-Year Review. Brock Bernstein, Review Implementation Facilitator; Loretta Barsamian, Executive Director of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board); and Chuck Weir, former Steering Committee chair, discussed review recommendations and the changes the RMP would undergo over the next few years. A panel discussion followed these initial presentations. The panel, comprised of representatives from the Regional Board, State Board, City of San Jose, and the CCMP Implementation Committee, discussed how they have been able to use RMP data in the past, and what they would like to get out of the RMP in the future. Andy Gunther from Applied Marine Sciences and Scott Ogle from Pacific Eco-Risk Laboratories discussed the importance of aquatic toxicity testing in the RMP since standard water quality tests are unable to provide insight into synergistic contaminant interactions. The panel discussion which followed this set of presentations noted that although agriculture has typically been thought of as the source of toxicity, it is in fact a complicated issue and that there is not yet enough data to determine sources and loadings. The panel stressed the importance of toxicity testing along with toxicity identification evaluations. The panel also acknowledged the limiting factor of cost constraints. Everyone on the panel agreed that there needed to be collaboration with the Central Valley and that "fingerpointing" should be avoided. After lunch Wally Jarman and Glenn Johnson from the Energy and Geoscience Institute of the University of Utah presented their work on chlorinated hydrocarbons in water. Dr. Jarman and Dr. Johnson discussed the status and trends of DDTs, diazinon, chlordane, and PCBs in the Estuary as well as Dr. Johnson's work on fingerprinting. During the following panel discussion, Karen Taberski from the Regional Board noted that fingerprinting was extremely important to get an idea of sources. The panel also discussed what needs to be done in order to improve the monitoring program so that PCB sources can be determined. The sediment monitoring portion of the afternoon was divided into three presentations and a panel discussion. Karen Taberski from the Regional Board discussed the use of RMP sediment data by the Board. Bruce Thompson from SFEI discussed the importance of sediment monitoring, and the current work and future direction of contaminant concentration work, sediment bioassays, and the benthic pilot study. Bryn Phillips from UC Santa Cruz discussed findings on the causes of toxicity in Grizzly Bay and the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. The panel discussed the interactive effects among contaminants which confound interpretation of results and the need to have a better understanding of these interactions. The panel also noted the need for a good dataset for creeks and stormdrains and the possible problems of data compatibility, comparability, and accessibility. The final set of presentations was given by Jay Davis, Josh Collins, and Rainer Hoenicke from SFEI. Dr. Davis spoke about the clear spatial and seasonal patterns which are beginning to emerge from the RMP trace organic data. Dr. Collins discussed his Wetlands Pilot Study results which showed that wetlands are filters between the uplands and the Bay and that as a filter they are generally more polluted than the rest of the Bay. Dr. Hoenicke discussed results from the Watershed Pilot Study. The panel expressed their excitement about the possibilities of moving up into watersheds acknowledging that wetlands are a unique system in which pollutants are concentrated. The panel also noted that the RMP should not be expected to do everything and that better linkages with stormwater monitoring programs should be explored. The day concluded with a well-attended social hour, which gave meeting participants a chance to unwind, and talk with the various presenters. Articles listed below relate to presentations given at the Annual Meeting.
Unless otherwise noted, all articles are from the 1996 Annual Report.
To receive a copy of the 1996 Annual Report, please contact Gabriele
Marek at (510) 231-5713 or gabriele@sfei.org.
RMP Fish Contamination Pilot StudyBy Jay Davis, SFEIIn 1994, the Bay Protection and Toxic Cleanup Program (BPTCP) performed a study to measure concentrations of contaminants in fish in San Francisco Bay. The results of the study indicated that there were six chemicals or chemical groups that were of potential health concern for people consuming Bay-caught fish. These chemicals were mercury, PCBs, DDT, dieldrin, chlordanes, and dioxins. As a result of this study the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment issued an interim health advisory for people consuming fish from San Francisco Bay. An RMP Fish Contamination Committee, including government agencies,
dischargers, and environmental groups, was set up in 1996 to provide oversight
for an RMP Pilot Study to measure fish contamination. The two main objectives
of the Fish Contamination Pilot Study are:
Fish Contamination MonitoringCollection of fish samples for chemical analysis began in 1997. These samples are currently being analyzed. Species collected included white croaker, shiner surfperch, jacksmelt, striped bass, leopard shark, California halibut, and white sturgeon. Results of this monitoring will appear in the 1997 RMP Annual Report, which will likely be distributed in February 1999. Three special studies on seafood contamination, to be initiated in 1998,
will lead to more comprehensive assessments of human health risk related
to consumption of Bay-caught fish and shellfish and also help improve the
design of the monitoring program.
Contractors for the field and analytical work include California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) at Moss Landing (field sampling, sample processing, and trace element analysis), Long Marine Laboratory at the University of California at Santa Cruz (trace organics analysis; except dioxins) and the Hazardous Materials Laboratory at the Department of Toxic Substances Control (dioxins/furans/coplanar PCBs). For more information on RMP fish contamination monitoring contact Jay Davis, SFEI at (510) 231-5625 or jay@sfei.org. San Francisco Bay Seafood Consumption StudyThe consumption study that is underway for San Francisco Bay will include
people who fish from shoreline locations and private boats. The seafood
consumption study element began in November 1997 under the guidance of
a special Task Force and expert outside reviewers and will fulfill the
general goals of gathering quantitative data that can be used to characterize
exposures of the general fishing population of San Francisco Bay to chemical
contaminants from consumption of Bay-caught fish and shellfish. Unlike
previous studies, the RMP effort will provide a sufficiently large number
of interviews to conduct statistical analyses of Bay-wide seafood consumption
patterns. The Consumption Study is being performed by Impact Analysis Incorporated
and the California Department of Health Services. For more information
on the Consumption Study, contact Rainer Hoenicke, SFEI, at (510) 231-5731
or jay@sfei.org.
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Highlights from the 1996 RMP Annual ReportBy Ted Daum, SFEIThe RMP has released the 1996 Annual Report and it is being distributed to participating agencies and other interested organizations and individuals. The report includes results from the Base Program (water, sediment, and bivalve monitoring), Pilot and Special Studies conducted or completed in 1996, and information on other related monitoring activities in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. In addition, several articles contributed by RMP investigators which provide perspective and insight on important contaminant issues identified by the RMP are included. Although types and numbers of contaminants monitored and sites sampled remained essentially the same in 1996 as in the previous year, the increased body of information allows for a greater emphasis on spatial and temporal analysis and interpretation of data, rather than simply descriptive summarization as was the case in earlier reports. Some of the highlights of the 1996 Annual Report findings are described below. To order the full report and/or executive summary, as well as reprints of the abstracts in the report, please contact Gabriele Marek at (510) 231-5713 or direct your World Wide Web browser to http://www.sfei.org.
1996 RMP monitoring sites WaterEven though the 1996 monitoring year was classified as a "wet" year with statewide runoff 125% of normal and flows into San Francisco Bay from the Delta, 1996 findings generally showed patterns in pollutant concentrations and distributions similar to those of previous years. Spatial concentration gradients have been consistently observed for most contaminants, and are especially strong for lead, nickel, zinc, diazinon, and DDT. For example, the South Bay and to a lesser extent the northern reach showed elevated levels for most contaminant concentrations. The Sacramento and San Joaquin River stations show elevated levels of diazinon and several trace elements. The Petaluma River station showed elevated levels of many trace elements and diazinon. Although polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) concentrations were elevated in the South Bay relative to other stations, they exceeded water quality objectives by a substantial amount at all stations. Several other classes of trace organic compounds also had concentrations above water quality objectives, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), primarily derived from car exhaust, and certain chlorinated pesticides, still present in the Estuary long after the banning of their use. Of the ten trace elements measured, concentrations of chromium, copper, mercury, and nickel were higher than water quality objectives on one or more occasions. Copper concentrations were most frequently above both objectives for dissolved and total concentrations. Mercury, nickel, and chromium concentrations were also above objectives in numerous instances. Seasonal variation was evident for many contaminants. There were increased levels of several trace elements and diazinon at the northern reach stations during February, apparently from freshwater inflow. The higher concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, and silver observed during low flow (dry season) sampling were possibly due to the increased influence of remobilization from Bay sediments at this time, and from upstream sources which receive less dilution in periods of low flow, and therefore have higher contaminant concentrations. Aquatic bioassays were conducted at the Grizzly Bay and the Napa, Sacramento, and San Joaquin River stations. In February, clear indications of aquatic toxicity were observed in bioassays with the shrimp Mysidopsis when survival was sharply depressed at three of the four stations. Only in water from Grizzly Bay did more than 8% of the test organisms survive. Toxicity was also observed in July samples from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers and Grizzly Bay stations. The timing and geographical location of this toxicity suggests that organophosphate pesticides carried by agricultural runoff from the Central Valley, and possibly Napa Valley, may have had a role in causing the toxicity. With only three sampling events taking place in a year, toxicity from these pesticides (and other compounds which are known to be episodic) may be missed if sampling does not occur during periods of heavy pesticide use and/or high runoff. A Special Study, described in Episodic toxicity in the San Francisco Bay System, was started in 1996 to take a more focused look at this episodic toxicity at the Grizzly Bay, Sacramento and San Joaquin River stations. SedimentData from the Bay Protection and Toxic Cleanup Program (BPTCP), the precursor program to the RMP, were added to the RMP data to produce sediment contaminant concentration trends for 1991-1996 for most trace elements. These plots showed that trace element concentrations were mostly stable and constant between 1993 and 1996, with few obvious increasing or decreasing trends. It is suspected that the few "trends" observed prior to 1993 indicating concentration changes since 1991 were due to different analytical methods between laboratories. Trace organic contaminants exhibited wider ranges of concentrations within each Bay reach and more variation over time than the trace elements. Concentration gradients were apparent for many trace elements and organics from the South Bay to the Central Bay. In examining trends in sediment contaminants it is important to realize that concentrations may be influenced by physical sediment factors such as grain size as well as proximity to sources. For this reason the course sediment stations are grouped separately for analytical purposes, as they generally have much lower contaminant concentrations. There are presently no formal regulatory sediment quality criteria or objectives, but informal guidelines have been developed, and are used in the RMP as interim benchmarks. Nickel in sediments exceeded sediment quality guidelines developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at all sites, however, the nickel guidelines are imprecise and believed to be of low value for the San Francisco Bay Area. Over the past four years, chromium, arsenic, mercury, total DDTs, and dieldrin have consistently exceeded the level where adverse effects are possible. And based on the RMP study described in Relationships Between Sediment Toxicity and Contamination in San Francisco Bay, the cumulative concentrations of contaminants in sediments were significantly associated with the percent survival of sediment dwelling Bay organisms. Bivalve BioaccumulationAlthough no generally acceptable tissue guidelines covering trace elements or trace organics are available for the bivalve bioaccumulation data, maximum tissue residue levels (MTRLs), which are relatively recent, science-based guidelines, are used by the RMP as a relative "yard-stick". Arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and nickel are the only metals for which MTRLs apply. With the exception of arsenic, all of these metals were well below their threshold levels. Bivalves, however, may not be the best indicators of bioaccumulation for these types of pollutants. Different trace element bioaccumulation patterns were evident in 1996 than in previous years. For example, more metals showed appreciable bioaccumulation in 1996 than in 1995. Copper, lead, nickel, and silver accumulated in tissues of mussels and oysters between two and thirty-two times above background levels. Copper and silver bioaccumulated at all Estuary stations during at least one of the two deployment periods, and lead and nickel at all but one. Arsenic, mercury, and selenium showed no appreciable bioaccumulation in 1996. Cadmium, chromium, and zinc were bioaccumulated at one or more stations, primarily in the South Bay and Northern Estuary. Arsenic is the only trace element that has shown no bioaccumulation in any of the three bivalve species at any station since the RMP began. Many trace organic compounds are bioaccumulated by bivalves to a much larger degree than trace elements, especially the compounds which concentrate in fatty tissue. As in previous years, most major classes of trace organic contaminants in bivalve tissues were above the MTRLs. PCBs and PAHs were above MTRLs in all 1996 tissue samples. Seasonal differences in PCB bioaccumulation were much more pronounced in 1996 than in the previous year, with dry season accumulation up to an order of magnitude greater than in the wet season. The mixture of PAH isomers found was fairly uniform throughout the Estuary, suggesting multiple inputs via urban runoff and/or direct aerial deposition. ConclusionsThe collection of high quality baseline data continues to grow. Contaminant
trends over time and space have been shown for water, sediment, and tissue.
Evaluations of contaminant concentrations based on Basin Plan objectives
and other benchmarks are being made using RMP data. RMP data are being
used in collaborative efforts with other programs, and efforts are continuing
which will enable compatibility with data being generated in other ongoing
studies, both local and regional. In other words, the goals or general
objectives of the RMP are being successfully addressed. A major recommendation
which came out of a comprehensive review in 1997 was to modify the current
program objectives to include the determinations of contaminant sources
and inputs. The data accumulated so far in the RMP will provide a firm
basis for redesigning the Program to address this and other planned objectives.
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Developing an Integrated Environmental Monitoring and Research Program for CALFEDBy Bruce Thompson, SFEICALFED is the federal and state government partnership that is addressing ecosystem restoration and water supply reliability in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, Delta, and northern San Francisco Bay. As part of those efforts, a monitoring and research program will need to be established. Currently, many agencies and programs are conducting monitoring and research in the system, but the scope and coverage of those programs is fragmentary and does not provide a comprehensive or integrated assessment of environmental condition and change. As CALFED begins to implement restoration actions it has become increasingly clear that they must also develop a long-term monitoring and research program to provide appropriate feed-back to the CALFED agencies about the effectiveness and consequences of their actions. In response to that need, CALFED has requested that staff from the Interagency Ecological Program (IEP), the US Geological Survey, and SFEI work together to develop a plan for an Integrated Environmental Monitoring and Research Program (IEMRP). The development of the IEMRP is a two phase process. Phase One is the creation of a report/proposal to CALFED to design the IEMRP, and Phase Two will be the actual creation of the Plan. Phase One of the IEMRP is nearly complete, and will be presented to the CALFED Policy Committee in April. Summary of the PlanThe scope of the IEMRP will address the monitoring and research needs of CALFED's common programs: Ecological Restoration, Water Quality, Levee Stability, and Water Supply and Reliability. The plan will address both institutional and ecological aspects of those programs. Development of the plan will also require the involvement of several existing CALFED committees as well as stakeholder groups, scientists, and agency staffs. Five Tasks are proposed that would be completed over the next year and would lead to a specific plan for IEMRP: 1. Define expectations, goals, and objectives. The goals and objectives of CALFED and other agency programs will be examined to determine what monitoring and research information is needed. 2. Develop a conceptual framework. Workshops and white papers will help define how the ecosystem is structured and how it functions, about the effects of environmental stressors on relevant ecosystem processes, and about the influences of specific rehabilitation actions. They will also strive to identify important gaps in knowledge and where research and monitoring will be needed to address the questions identified in Task 1. 3. Monitoring program design. This task will include conducting an inventory
of existing monitoring programs, development of monitoring design, data
management and reporting systems for the IEMRP. The proposed monitoring
program will be constructed on the principle of using as much of existing
monitoring as possible, then filling obvious gaps. The goals of the proposed
monitoring program are to:
a. Provide a consistent description of conditions in the Estuary, Delta, and watershed on appropriate temporal and spatial scales. Determination of appropriate scales rests on precise statements of management goals. b. Describe trends in the condition of environmental measures. Identify, describe, and explain the major factors that might explain the observed conditions and trends. c. Provide information to management on the effectiveness of actions
taken.
4. Develop a CALFED focused research program. This program would support implementation of the CALFED common programs, and help interpret or improve monitoring results. The goals of the science support program are: a. To reduce areas of scientific uncertainty affecting the achievement of management goals, including the development of performance measures that consider variations in space, time, and trophic complexity. b. Identification of cause and effect relationships between physical and biotic variables. c. Corroboration of the functional relationships developed in conceptual
modes.
5. Develop an institutional structure for the IEMRP. Implementation of the IEMRP will require an "umbrella" structure to coordinate the numerous agencies and programs that will be involved in conducting the research and monitoring proposed. Phase Two activities are slated to be completed by the end of 1998. It will then be up to CALFED to decide how to implement the plan. For more information on SFEI's involvement in the IEMRP, please contact
Bruce Thompson at (510) 231-5613 or brucet@sfei.org. The IEMRP Phase I
(Draft) Report is now available for downloading from the IEP Homepage (http://iep.water.ca.gov).
Fish Contamination Monitoring in the Sacramento River WatershedBy Jay Davis, SFEIMercury and certain organic chemical pollutants (including DDT and PCBs) that are of concern in the Sacramento River watershed readily accumulate in the food web, resulting in high concentrations in fish tissue. Because of the relatively high concentrations that occur in fish, measuring these chemicals in fish is a very effective way to monitor the degree of contamination of aquatic environments. Fish accumulate contaminants throughout their lifespan and throughout their habitat, so the resulting body burdens provide a representation of average conditions of their habitat over time. Measuring fish tissue contamination therefore will provide data that will be very useful in determining long-term trends in contamination of mercury, DDT, and PCBs. Knowledge of fish tissue concentrations of these chemicals is also useful for estimating their potential effects on fish, on wildlife species that consume fish, and on humans who catch and eat fish in the watershed. A 1994 study of fish tissue contamination in San Francisco Bay found concentrations of mercury, DDT, PCBs, and other chemicals that were of potential public health concern. This led the California Environmental Protection Agency Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment to issue an interim advisory for consumption of several species of Bay fish. It is possible that concentrations of mercury, DDT, or PCBs in some fish species from the Sacramento River watershed are comparable to those in the Bay, and are cause for similar concern for public health in the Sacramento River watershed. In 1997, the Sacramento River Watershed Program (SRWP) began monitoring contaminant concentrations in fish tissue in the watershed. This is a summary on the progress of this element of the SRWP monitoring program. Objectives of the StudyThe objectives of the fish contamination monitoring being conducted for the Sacramento River Watershed Program are as follows (listed in order of priority):
Current Status of the StudyRainbow trout and white catfish were collected in September and October 1997. Rainbow trout were collected at five locations in the northern portion of the watershed in the vicinity of Shasta Lake. White catfish were collected at seven locations in the southern portion of the watershed. Fish were collected by the California Department of Fish and Game. Mercury concentrations in these samples are being determined by the California Department of Fish and Game. Preliminary results are presented in Tables 1 and 2. These results will be considered final after they have received final approval from SFEI.
Table 2. Concentrations of mercury in rainbow trout. Data are preliminary.
Concentrations of PCBs, DDT, and other organic chemical contaminants are being measured by the Long Marine Laboratory at the University of California at Santa Cruz. Data from these analyses are not yet available. The final mercury and organic chemical data will be reviewed by the
California Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Health
Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). One of the roles of OEHHA is to evaluate potential
health risks from consuming chemically contaminated sport fish. When potential
risks are elevated OEHHA issues advice describing how reducing consumption
can reduce exposure and risk. Mercury concentrations in white catfish are
similar to mercury levels in striped bass in the Delta and San Francisco
Bay. OEHHA has issued consumption advice for the Bay and Delta based on
mercury at these levels. Mercury concentrations in rainbow trout are lower
than for any species in the 1994 San Francisco Bay study. A consumption
advisory at these levels is not likely.
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Monthly Water Quality Monitoring in San Francisco Bay: A Cooperative Program Between the RMP and USGSBy James E. Cloern, United States Geological SurveyThe United States Geological Survey (USGS) makes monthly water quality measurements along the channel of the San Francisco Bay-Delta system, from the Sacramento River to the South Bay. This cooperative project is funded by the USGS and the Regional Monitoring Program (RMP). The objective of this program is to provide a continuing record of the monthly changes in Bay-Delta water quality, and interpretation of these changes as responses to fluctuations in river flow, weather, seasonal cycles of biological activity, and unusual events such as red tides. Measurements of turbidity, dissolved oxygen, salinity, temperature, suspended sediments and chlorophyll provide:
Results of this program are archived on a website (http://sfbay.wr.usgs.gov/access/wqdata/) which allows users to view and download data within about two weeks of sampling. In 1997, cost-sharing included 19% ($60K) support from the RMP, and 81% from the USGS through its Toxic Substances Hydrology Program, Ecosystems Program, and Water Resources Division National Research Program. For more information about the project, please contact James Cloern
at (650) 329-4594 or jecloern@usgs.gov.
Around Town
Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Inventory and PlanBy Adrienne Yang and Ted Daum, SFEIThe San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) is working with the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) and the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), Moss Landing to assist the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) in developing a coastal water quality monitoring inventory and a water quality monitoring plan for the state. This effort is mandated by the State Assembly Bill 1429. Currently, there are hundreds of programs in the state (including National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits) which do some effluent and or receiving-water monitoring, but there is no way to efficiently and effectively determine where, when, why, and what they sample without time-consuming investigations of dozens of individual sources. This project is the first complete inventory of coastal water quality monitoring in the state. The first phase of this project is the design and creation of a Coastal Monitoring Inventory Database. This will be a relational database which will be used to store information (also know as metadata) on coastal water quality monitoring programs. Once completed, the database will be searchable by geographic location, date, water quality parameters measured, and monitoring program through the internet. SFEI will also be responsible for creating a data entry form and collecting and entering information on coastal water quality monitoring from the San Francisco Bay-Delta. SCCWRP and DFG will be responsible for collecting and entering data from the rest of the state. Monitoring programs covered will include NPDES permit monitoring as well as other important water quality monitoring programs. Another part of this project is the design and creation of a World Wide Web site for the Coastal Monitoring Inventory. This web site will allow access to the monitoring information. Interested organizations will be able to conduct searches as well as enter information directly into the database via an on-line data entry form. This site is slated to be operational by the end of August. Finally, Institute staff are assisting the State Board in the design of a coastal water quality monitoring plan. The Institute is providing input on various aspects of the plan including: goals, area covered, parameters measured, methods used, and the monitoring budget. The database design has been completed and SFEI staff are currently collecting and entering information into the database. Data entry is expected to be done by June, while the monitoring plan is expected to be finished by the end of August. The completed inventory and monitoring plan will be submitted to the Governor in October. For more information on the Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Inventory
and Plan, please contact Bruce Thompson at (510) 231-5613 or brucet@sfei.org,
or Michael Perrone of the State Board at (916) 657-0660 or perm@dwq.swrcb.ca.gov.
Staff Profile: Meet Samir Arora--Environmental Analyst
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RMP 1998 Cruise Schedule
RMP CalendarThursday, April 30thJoint Technical Review and Steering Committee meeting, 9:00-5:00, at SFEI offices on the Richmond Field Station. Wednesday, May 20th
AnnouncementsNew Reports AvailableSeveral new reports are available from SFEI. The 1996 Annual Report; Watershed Pilot Study: An Information Review with Emphasis on Contaminant Loading, Sources, and Effects; and Relationships Between Sediment Toxicity and Contamination in San Francisco Bay. For ordering information, please contact Gabriele Marek at (510) 231-5713. 1996 Data Now Available Online1996 data have been added to the Online RMP Database. This database allows anyone with access to the WWW to dynamically select, view, and download data using a point and click interface. All published RMP data (1993-1996) are now accessible. To access RMP data, point your web browser to SFEI's homepage at http://www.sfei.org
and click on the Online RMP Database link. 
San Francisco Estuary Institute |