Initial Trends in Chemical Contamination, Toxicity and Land Use in California Watersheds: Stream Pollution Trends (SPoT) Monitoring Program

The State Water Resources Control Board’s Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP) has released the second report on results from a continuing statewide program that measures trends in pollution levels and toxicity in major California watersheds. The program is called the Stream Pollution Trends monitoring program (SPoT), and it is one of three statewide projects funded by SWAMP. The report, Initial Trends in Chemical Contamination, Toxicity and Land Use in California Watersheds, summarizes results from the 2009–2010 annual SPoT surveys and represents an assessment of large watersheds across California to determine how stream pollutant concentrations are affected by land use, with an emphasis on urban and agricultural development. These data were compared to the 2008 SPoT sampling year, allowing a preliminary assessment of emerging trends. SPoT is improving our understanding of the long term trends of watershed contamination and associated toxicity. This program investigates the impacts of land development on water quality, helps prioritize water bodies in need of water quality management, and evaluates the effectiveness of management programs designed to improve stream health. SPoT forms the foundation for other regional programs and provides a statewide perspective so that local and regional water quality monitoring efforts can evaluate how conditions in their streams compare to those in other California watersheds.