Regional Watersheds Program

The Regional Watershed Program conducts management- and policy-related scientific research on the physical, chemical, and biological function of the watersheds and urban catchment of San Francisco Bay. Areas of research include geomorphology, hydrology and sediment transport, contaminant source investigation, contaminant hydrology, testing the effectiveness of Best Management Practices (BMPs), and modeling loads and BMP selection alternatives. Research projects are carried out through collaborations with government managers and scientists, the private sector, and academia. more >

Program Manager: Lester McKee, Ph.D.

Meetings and Events

Featured Projects

Alameda Creek is the largest watershed in the Bay area draining approximately 650 square miles of the East Bay interior hills and valleys, including the Livermore-Amador and Sunol valleys.

Nonpoint source pollution has been identified nationally, in the State of California, and in the Bay Area as the leading source of degradation of natural waters.

News and Notables

Oct-16-12

SFEI-ASC Scientists gave 5 presentations and displayed 3 posters at the 7th Biennial Bay-Delta Science Conference

Jul-29-11

Jay Davis, Lester McKee, Don Yee, Nicole David, and Aroon Melwani presented at the International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Dec-20-10

Lester McKee and Sarah Pearce were interviewed in SF Estuary film short titled "Cut the Curbs to Claim the Rain."

Nov-28-10

An article in the San Jose Mercury News on PCBs in the Bay Area quotes Jay Davis and Lester McKee.

Aug-29-10

SFEI's Napa Valley Historical Ecology Study appears in feature story on the river and its history.