Tue, Mar 25 2025

Sampling the Storm: Tracking PCBs in Bay Area Waterways

The Bay's industrial history is preserved in its mud. Buried in the soft, silty clay are legacy contaminants from factories, shipyards, and military activities. These chemicals stick around in the environment long after regulations to limit their production and use were imposed.

Fri, Mar 8 2024

Storms drive emerging contaminants into the Bay

Rainfall washes contaminants from urban landscapes to San Francisco Bay, degrading water quality. In the latest RMP Update, we highlight the findings of a major multi-year screening study to quantify hundreds of emerging contaminants in stormwater.

Sun, Oct 15 2023

Vehicle Tires Threaten Water Quality

Update: On October 1, 2023: California Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) 6PPD regulations became effective, making it the first government in the world to regulate the chemical content of vehicle tires to protect salmon. DTSC is requiring tire manufacturers to identify alternatives to the tire preservative that is the source of the chemical toxic to coho salmon.

Tue, Jan 19 2021

Dr. Kelly Moran Joins SFEI Staff

SFEI is excited to announce that veteran RMP contributor Dr.

Fri, Dec 4 2020

Toxic Tire Contaminant Found in Bay Area Stormwater

Scientists at the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) have found a highly toxic tire-related contaminant at levels lethal to coho salmon in stormwater flowing through four sites in the Bay Area. The contaminant, derived from a tire preservative, has been discovered by Washington state researchers to be responsible for high levels of coho salmon deaths in Puget Sound streams. These findings will inform a petition by state stormwater leaders to the Department of Toxic Substances Control to address pollution of California streams caused by tires.

Fri, Jul 28 2017

New Manuscript on Pollutants in the Guadalupe River Addresses Key Questions

Guadalupe River is contaminated with mercury mining wastes from runoff associated with the historic New Almaden Mining District in the upper watershed that produced 40 million kilograms during its working life (1850-1975) and with PCB and other urban pollutants from a long history of urbanization

Fri, May 13 2016

GreenPlan-IT featured in the newsletter of the National Water Quality Monitoring Council

GreenPlan-IT, a toolset created in a collaboration with SFEP, US EPA, and local partners, has been featured in the newsletter of the National Water Quality Monitoring Council, which has been distributed broadly to subscribers throughout the nation and beyond.

Tue, Jun 2 2015

Storm Flows Key to Managing Pollution in Highly Urban Watersheds

Urban runoff is a large and potentially controllable source of pollutants for San Francisco Bay and urban centers around the world. SFEI scientists conducted intensive measurements for suspended sediments and a range of trace organic pollutants in dry weather and storm flow runoff from a fully urban watershed. More than 91% of the loads for every pollutant measured were transported during storm events, along with 87% of the total water discharge.