Pulse of the Delta 2012

This second edition of the Pulse of the Delta includes the following sections:

The KEY TOPIC article introduces this year’s theme, LINKING SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT THROUGH REGIONAL MONITORING (PAGE 6).

The MANAGEMENT UPDATE section provides updates on Delta RMP development (PAGE 12) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Delta Clean Water Act evaluation (PAGE 18). It further provides an update on the development of Nutrient Numeric Endpoints for San Francisco Bay, due to the relevance of this topic to Delta stakeholders (PAGE 28). And as a new feature, the Management Update section now also provides a regulatory status update for pollutants of concern.
This edition of the Pulse of the Delta introduces a NEW STATUS AND TRENDS section with updates on important monitoring results (PAGE 44) and leading indicators (PAGE 50) for the Delta.

The STATUS AND TRENDS section was made possible thanks to significant contributions by the Interagency Ecological Program, U.S. Geological Survey, the Central Valley Regional Water Board, California Department of Fish and Game, California Department of Water Resources, and scientists at the UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University Romberg Tiburon Center.

Two FEATURE ARTICLES provide an overview of recent research findings that could help wetland managers reduce the methylmercury problem and a glimpse into the future of the Interagency Ecological Program (IEP).
One of the main challenges as ecosystem restoration efforts are moving forward will be the mercury problem. Large-scale restoration of wetland areas will be required to provide a sufficient amount of aquatic habitat for restoring the Delta ecosystem. At the same time, water quality managers will need to identify actions to protect people and wildlife from exposure to methylmercury that may originate from restored wetlands, due to a legacy of mercury contamination in Delta soils. Recently completed and ongoing studies in the Yolo Bypass provide new information on management options for controlling methylmercury production in wetlands and offsite transport (PAGE 66).

IEP scientists have been monitoring and researching the San Francisco Estuary since 1970. Now the IEP has arrived at an important crossroads, and its future is being decided at the same time as environmental managers are determining what a desirable future ecosystem would look like, how it would function, and how it can be established (PAGE 76).