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Developing Water Quality Solutions for SF Bay

Developing Water Quality Solutions for SF Bay. Dyan Whyte dcw@rb2.swrcb.ca.gov California Regional Water Quality Control Board San Francisco Bay Region. Clean Water Act § 303(d) requires States to: Identify impaired waters Adopt plans to restore and maintain water quality standards

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Developing Water Quality Solutions for SF Bay

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  1. Developing Water Quality Solutions for SF Bay Dyan Whyte dcw@rb2.swrcb.ca.gov California Regional Water Quality Control Board San Francisco Bay Region

  2. Clean Water Act §303(d) requires States to: Identify impaired waters Adopt plans to restore and maintain water quality standards California: TMDLs are adopted by incorporation into Basin Plans Basin Planning process requires implementation plans Total Maximum Daily Load Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

  3. 1472 listings statewide (400 – 800 projects) 160+ listings in SF Bay Region (33 projects?) 1998 303(d) Impaired Waters List Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

  4. Pesticide toxicity Legacy pesticides Selenium Exotic species Dioxins/furans San Francisco Bay listed as impaired by: Copper Nickel Mercury PCBs PAHs & PBDEs watch listed Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

  5. TMDL Phases & Products 303(d) List 1 Impairment assessment, conceptual model development Project Definition 2 3 Project Planning Data Collection 4 Project Analyses Project Reports 5-7 Basin Plan amendment Regulatory Action/Process 8 Adaptive Implementation WQS Support

  6. STOP! Do not proceed until all the facts are in and we understand the system perfectly and can take actions that we know will be 100% effective. How to deal with uncertainty & complexity ??? Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

  7. Proceed but employ: the scientific method A cautious approach Flexibility Adaptive implementation Coping with Complexity & Uncertainties Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

  8. TMDL Projects Updates Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

  9. SSOs for South Bay calculated to fully protect beneficial uses Assessment suggested no impairment by ambient levels of copper Water quality protection plan that contains pollution prevention actions and ongoing monitoring to assess status Recommended de-listing Cu/Ni in SF BayOutcomes of the TMDL project Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

  10. Adequate Funding and data RMP baseline monitoring provided core data set to evaluate ambient conditions San Jose and other cities contributed > $2 million to improve scientific understanding and stakeholder involvement. Stakeholder involvement Consensus reached on complex technical issues. Technical Peer Review Ensured that the science component was sound. Paved the way for consensus on the policy issues. Keys to Cu/Ni project success Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

  11. Mercury transformations in the environment: From cinnabar to the sushi bar

  12. Bed Erosion 460 Central Valley Watershed 440 Urban Storm Water Runoff 160 Guadalupe River Watershed 92 Direct Atmospheric Deposition 27 Non-Urban Storm Water Runoff 25 Wastewater 19 Total 1,220 SF Bay mercury sources Mercury Load (kg/yr) Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

  13. FishTissueTarget BirdEggTarget Sediment Target Used to Evaluate Success Used to Allocate Loads MercurySources WQStandards(beneficial uses) MercurySources Beneficial Uses

  14. Reduce mercury loads to SF Bay. Reduce production of methyl mercury. Perform monitoring and focused studies to: Assess progress toward targets Refine load estimates Evaluate appropriateness of targets Evaluate controllability of loads. Encourage actions that address multiple contaminants Re-visit decisions on targets, allocations, and implementation actions every 5 - 10 years SF Bay Mercury TMDLImplementation Plan Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

  15. Bioturbation, Scouring, Deposition & Resuspension, Transport, Dredging Atmospheric Deposition PCBs TMDLConceptual Model Golden Gate Outflow PointSources Surface Waters UrbanRunoff Fish eatingWildlife Fish Spills & On-LandContaminated Sites Benthic & Plant eating Wildlife Biologically Active Sediment Layer Benthic Invertebrates & Plants Non-UrbanRunoff &Non-Point Sources Buried Sediment Layer Humans Degradation, Sorption & Desorption, Diffusion DeltaInflow

  16. SF Bay Hg final TMDL report SF Bay PCBs preliminary and final TMDL reports Guadalupe River source assessment & conceptual model report Urban Creeks pesticide toxicity final TMDL report Napa River sediments and nutrients preliminary project report San Francisquito sediments preliminary project report Sonoma Creek sediments and nutrients preliminary project report Stay tuned for … Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

  17. Conceptual models and SF Bay impairment assessments for: Legacy pesticides Selenium Pesticide toxicity Dioxins/furans PAHs PBDEs Stay tuned for … Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

  18. Acknowledgements Thank you to the hard working TMDL staff, especially Bill Johnson Fred Hetzel Richard Looker Tom Mumley who let me pillage their slide collections Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

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