2018 Regional Monitoring Program (RMP) Sediment Cruise Report

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | September 5th, 2018

This report outlines details from the annual Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in the San Francisco Estuary (RMP) sediment cruise, conducted August 14 – 21,

This report outlines details from the annual Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in the San Francisco Estuary (RMP) sediment cruise, conducted August 14 – 21, 2018. The Regional Monitoring Program conducts routine monitoring of water, sediment and biological tissue. The current study design calls for monitoring of water and bivalves every two years and sediment every four years. Bird egg monitoring (cormorant and terns) is conducted triennially, while sport fish are monitored on a five-year rotation. 

2018 Regional Monitoring Program (RMP) Update

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | September 10th, 2018

The goal of the RMP is to collect data and communicate information about Bay water quality in support of all of these management decisions. The $3.6 million annual budget

The goal of the RMP is to collect data and communicate information about Bay water quality in support of all of these management decisions. The $3.6 million annual budget for the RMP is used judiciously so that these decisions on Bay water quality are informed by sound science.

2018 RMP Bivalve Retrieval Cruise Plan

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | September 13th, 2018

2018 RMP Sediment Sampling and Analysis Plan

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | June 26th, 2018

This report details plans associated with the annual Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in the San Francisco Estuary (RMP) sediment cruise. The Regional Monit

This report details plans associated with the annual Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in the San Francisco Estuary (RMP) sediment cruise. The Regional Monitoring Program through the Status and Trends conducts routine monitoring of water, sediment and biological tissue. The current study design calls for monitoring of water and bivalves every two years and sediment every four years. Bird egg monitoring (cormorant and terns) is conducted triennially, while sport fish are monitored on a five-year rotation. For 2018, sampling operations will entail dry season sample collection at 27 RMP sediment sampling sites.

2018 Technical Memorandum Regarding the Accounting of San Joaquin River Spring-run Chinook Salmon at the Central Valley Project and State Water Project Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Fish Collection Facilities

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) | January 15th, 2018

2019 Regional Monitoring Plan (RMP) North Bay Selenium Monitoring Sampling and Analysis Plan

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | January 31st, 2020

In 2016, the State Water Resources Control Board approved a selenium TMDL for North San Francisco Bay. The TMDL established a target concentration of 11.3 ug/g dw in whi

In 2016, the State Water Resources Control Board approved a selenium TMDL for North San Francisco Bay. The TMDL established a target concentration of 11.3 ug/g dw in white sturgeon muscle tissue as the basis for evaluating impairment (SFBRWQCB 2015). Following discussions surrounding the North Bay TMDL, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board asked the RMP Selenium Workgroup to develop a robust monitoring design for North Bay. The goal of the monitoring is to identify leading indicators of change to allow prompt management response to signs of increasing impairment. At the 2016 technical workshop, participants reached a consensus that monitoring sturgeon, clams, and water are all needed to answer management questions. Recommendations for long-term monitoring of these three matrices are detailed in the North Bay Monitoring Design document (Grieb et al. 2018). The USGS conducted monthly clam monitoring at multiple locations in North Bay for over 20 years, but USGS funding for this work ended in 2016. In 2019, the RMP will resume clam monitoring following a modified monitoring design optimized for early detection of changes in selenium trends in clams. These efforts will continue the long-term monitoring of Potamocorbula amurensis. Grieb et al. (2018) also recommended monitoring dissolved and particulate selenium in the water column. Long-term monitoring of water and sturgeon tissue in North Bay will be added to the clam sampling to track interannual trends and changes in sources or environmental processes influencing food web selenium exposures in North Bay. Potamocorbula amurensis and water samples will be collected from two long-term USGS monitoring locations in northern San Francisco Bay. Samples will be collected and processed by SFEI and Applied Marine Sciences (AMS) aboard the R/V Questuary . Sampling will take place over six months each year in two key three-month periods: July-September and December-February. White sturgeon ( Acipenser transmontanus ) samples will be collected by DFW during their tagging efforts aboard the New Alosa . These efforts occur during DFW’s fall tagging cruises (Sept - Oct). Non-lethal muscle plug samples will be collected from the epaxial muscle of each fish, just in front of the dorsal fin (Figure 5). Brooks Applied Labs (BAL), CalTest Analytical Laboratory (CalTest), and the UC Davis Stable Isotope Lab will be the analytical partners for this work. Stable isotope analysis will be used to identify spatial and temporal relationships within a food web, as well as potential sources of selenium. BAL will analyze dissolved and particulate selenium in water; clams, and sturgeon samples; and CalTest will conduct ancillary analyses on dissolved water samples. The purpose of this Sampling and Analysis Plan is to clearly document the sampling design, methods, and responsibilities; and to facilitate coordination among project partners.

2019 Regional Monitoring Program (RMP) Sport Fish Monitoring Sampling and Analysis Plan

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | December 1st, 2019

2019 Regional Monitoring Program (RMP) Water Cruise Report

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | September 19th, 2019

This report details activities associated with the annual Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in the San Francisco Estuary (RMP) water cruise. The RMP water sam

This report details activities associated with the annual Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in the San Francisco Estuary (RMP) water cruise. The RMP water sampling program was redesigned in 2002 to adopt a randomized sampling design at thirty-one sites in place of the twenty-six “spine of the Estuary” stations sampled previously. In 2007, the number of sites was decreased to twenty-two stations and it remains as such for 2019. 

2021 Emergency Drought Salinity Barrier Project Water Quality Certification

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | May 28th, 2021

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) is proposing to implement the 2021 Emergency Drought Salinity Barrier Project (Project). The Project consists of instal

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) is proposing to implement the 2021 Emergency Drought Salinity Barrier Project (Project). The Project consists of installation of a temporary emergency drought salinity barrier across West False River in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta). The barrier will be constructed of embankment rock (riprap). The purpose of the Project is to control saltwater intrusion into the Central and south Delta and conserve water in upstream reservoirs for other uses. Pursuant to Clean Water Act section 401, the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) has authority to consider whether a proposed activity involving a discharge to navigable waters complies with applicable water quality standards and other appropriate requirements of state law and to issue a water quality certification if those requirements will be met. The State Water Board concludes that, as conditioned herein, water quality certification may be issued.  During drought conditions, the release of water stored in upstream reservoirs may be insufficient to repel salinity moving upstream from San Francisco Bay. According to DWR’s analyses, without the protection of the drought salinity barrier, saltwater intrusions could render Delta water unusable for agricultural needs, reduce habitat value for aquatic species, and affect roughly 25 million Californians who rely on the export of this water for personal use. Installation of the temporary rock barrier at West False River would limit salinity intrusion into the Central and south Delta and would potentially conserve water for a variety of uses system-wide.  On May 10, 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a Proclamation of State of Emergency (May 2021 Proclamation) due to drought conditions and directed DWR, among other things, to implement plans that address potential Delta salinity issues, including installation and removal of emergency drought salinity barriers as needed. The May 2021 Proclamation mandates that such emergency barriers be designed to conserve water for use later in the year to meet state and federal Endangered Species Act requirements, preserve to the extent possible water quality in the Delta, and retain water supply for human health and safety uses. The State Water Board and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) are also directed to immediately consider any necessary regulatory approvals needed to install emergency drought salinity barriers. Additionally, the May 2021 Proclamation suspends Water Code section 13247, which requires state agencies to comply with water quality control plans approved by the State Water Board, and suspends the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for purpose of implementing actions such as the Project.  Installation and removal of the Project will require a permit from the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. DWR is seeking emergency authorization under USACE’s Regional General Permit (RGP) 8 – Emergency Repair and Protection Activities. 

2021 RMP Water Cruise Plan

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | October 14th, 2021

This report details plans associated with the annual Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in the San Francisco Estuary (RMP) water cruise. The RMP water samplin

This report details plans associated with the annual Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in the San Francisco Estuary (RMP) water cruise. The RMP water sampling program was redesigned in 2002 to adopt a randomized sampling design at thirty-one sites in place of the twenty-six base program stations sampled previously. In 2007, the number of sites was decreased to twenty-two stations, and it remains as such for 2021. The analytes for 2021 have been modified based on the Status and Trends (S&T) Review process that started in 2020. The analytes that are being removed from the program include selenium and methylmercury (dissolved and particulate), while bisphenols and organophosphate esters (OPEs) have been added to S&T monitoring.