This document outlines a strategy of the Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (RMP) for developing an integrated system of watershed and in-Bay models to help answer key management questions and support water quality protection and restoration actions. The strategy focuses on enhancing the watershed modeling capacity of the RMP to complement existing and planned in-Bay models. This creates a linked approach to simulate pollutant transport from watersheds to the Bay and the movement and environmental fate of these pollutants in water, sediment, and biota once in the Bay.

The Strategy emphasizes making the models accessible community resources that can be used by various stakeholders for their own applications. When fully implemented, this Strategy will result in an integrated watershed–Bay modeling system capable of:

• simulating the transport of water, sediment, and contaminants from watershed sources to the Bay;
• evaluating the effectiveness of management actions in reducing watershed pollutant loads;
• forecasting recovery rates for the Bay under various management scenarios;
• assessing the impacts of climate change, land use changes, and green stormwater infrastructure on Bay water quality; and
• supporting science-based regulatory decisions and restoration planning for the Bay.

Implementing this strategy will advance the region’s capacity to address complex water quality challenges, provide timely information to water quality managers, and support the long-term health of San Francisco Bay.