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.

A Delta Renewed: A Guide to Science-Based Ecological Restoration in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | November 1st, 2016

A Delta Renewed and the larger Delta Landscapes project are part of an ongoing effort to address these critically important challenges. They provide guidance for restora

A Delta Renewed and the larger Delta Landscapes project are part of an ongoing effort to address these critically important challenges. They provide guidance for restoration that renews critical functions over time without having major negative impacts on the current human enterprise in the Delta area and on other areas dependent on its services. The idea is to determine the most efficient ways to recover Delta functioning so that human benefits are maintained, while investing in process-based recovery of landscape functions. The scientists working on this project assume that this goal is best achieved if we can understand how the Delta functioned before major European modification. We can then use that knowledge as a guide to developing a diverse portfolio of habitats and connections that might sustain native species, and the attributes of a healthy Delta into the future. The effort to reconstruct the Delta of the early 1800s has been challenging, but is now completed. The next step is to devise management scenarios that will recover important functions and native species where possible. There is no intent to try to recreate the Delta of the past. That is impossible without sacrificing our objective of maintaining and even improving the human enterprises now present. What is essential now is to obtain general agreement among all of the stakeholders, which includes all citizens of California, that the Delta should be managed for the benefit of people and wildlife in a sustainable way. Given the uncertainties inherent in any large-scale reconciliation effort, there is a real need to appreciate the complex interactions and inter-dependencies that characterize the various components of the Delta landscape. There is also a need to understand the uncertainties of future climate change and to recognize the diversity of needs among our fellow citizens. Our hopes for success will ultimately depend on generating a spirit of cooperation for the common good. It won’t be easy, but the stakes are high. The Delta Landscapes project is dedicated to that goal.

A Menu of Fire Response Water Quality Monitoring Options and Recommendations for Water Year 2019 and Beyond

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | July 2nd, 2018

In October 2017, the Tubbs Fire and the Nuns Fire burned 93,400 acres of the Mark West Creek and Santa Rosa Creek watersheds, killing 22 people, and incinerating approxim

In October 2017, the Tubbs Fire and the Nuns Fire burned 93,400 acres of the Mark West Creek and Santa Rosa Creek watersheds, killing 22 people, and incinerating approximately 7,000 structures. After the fires, many agencies worked together to deploy water and sediment related best management practices (BMPs) in the burn area (e.g., waddles, emergency hydroseeding, and filter systems on storm drains) and worked on removing contaminated debris and soil from burned properties. The City of Santa Rosa conducted water quality sampling to verify that the BMPs were working. Water quality samples were collected at selected sites before and after flow interacted with the BMP; the City was generally pleased with the results. Subsequently, the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (Water Board) developed a preliminary monitoring design for WY 2018 to measure potential water quality impacts of the fires in relation to beneficial uses. Selected streams were sampled for parameters that could be compared to regulatory water quality criteria. The attachment contains a summary of the results for WY 2018. Based on this initial dataset, the apparent early success of the BMP program, and the soil clean-ups that have occurred, the focus going forward should be on monitoring larger-scale and longer-term impacts. This document outlines monitoring options for consideration for WY 2019 and beyond for four categories: Water Chemistry, Hydromodification, Geomorphic Response, and Ecology. 

A Rapid Assessment Method to Identify Potential Groundwater Flooding Hotspots as Sea Levels Rise in Coastal Cities

Water, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) | October 25th, 2019

Sea level rise (SLR) will cause shallow unconfined coastal aquifers to rise. Rising groundwater can emerge as surface flooding and impact buried infrastructure, soil beh

Sea level rise (SLR) will cause shallow unconfined coastal aquifers to rise. Rising groundwater can emerge as surface flooding and impact buried infrastructure, soil behavior, human health, and nearshore ecosystems. Higher groundwater can also reduce infiltration rates for stormwater, adding to surface flooding problems. Levees and seawalls may not prevent these impacts. Pumping may accelerate land subsidence rates, thereby exacerbating flooding problems associated with SLR. Public agencies at all jurisdiction levels will need information regarding where groundwater impacts are likely to occur for development and infrastructure planning, as extreme precipitation events combine with SLR to drive more frequent flooding. We used empirical depth-to-water data and a digital elevation model of the San Francisco Bay Area to construct an interpolated surface of estimated minimum depth-to-water for 489 square kilometers along the San Francisco Bay shoreline. This rapid assessment approach identified key locations where more rigorous data collection and dynamic modeling is needed to identify risks and prevent impacts to health, buildings, and infrastructure, and develop adaptation strategies for SLR.

A Toolkit for Stormwater Asset Management and Funding

California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State) | March 1st, 2019

Communities throughout the United States are making investments in managing stormwater. As stormwater management becomes a higher national priority, municipalities are ma

Communities throughout the United States are making investments in managing stormwater. As stormwater management becomes a higher national priority, municipalities are managing and building systems to provide flood protection and comply with National Pollutant Discharge and Elimination System (NPDES) permits. The US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Environmental Finance Centers throughout the country are supporting this goal and providing expertise and tools to improve local stormwater management capacity. The EPA’s Region 9 Environmental Finance Center at Sacramento State (EFC) developed a free stormwater financing toolkit to assist communities in sustainable stormwater program management and funding. The toolkit guides users in estimating costs for maintaining current assets, ensuring permit compliance, and projecting costs for future infrastructure. It also allows users to record data, calculate cost of service, and evaluate stormwater utility rate structures, including an ability-to-pay analysis for residential property owners. The toolkit was assembled as part of the EFC’s municipal assistance activities and tested in real-life municipal stormwater planning. Like most analysis and modeling efforts, data collection and integration constitutes the majority of the work. In undertaking asset management, utility managers will have to develop or update inventories of their system assets. Unit and program cost data will need to be gathered from accounting records and external sources, while property and census data will need to be assembled to estimate key factors that support utility billing systems. The toolkit and this document were developed to guide the user in not just what to do, but also how to do it and where to get necessary data.

Agricultural managed aquifer recharge (Ag-MAR)—a method for sustainable groundwater management: A review

Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology (Taylor & Francis) | March 28th, 2022

More than two billion people and 40% of global agricultural production depend upon unsustainable groundwater extraction. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR), the practice of s

More than two billion people and 40% of global agricultural production depend upon unsustainable groundwater extraction. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR), the practice of strategically recharging water to replenish subsurface storage, is an important subbasin scale practice for managing groundwater more sustainably. However, it is not yet reaching its full potential to counterbalance growing global groundwater demand. Agricultural managed aquifer recharge (Ag-MAR) is an emerging method for spreading large volume flows on agricultural lands and has capacity for widespread global implementation. Yet, knowledge gaps, synergies, and tradeoffs in Ag-MAR research still exist. We identify six key system considerations when implementing Ag-MAR: water source, soil and unsaturated zone processes, impact on groundwater, crop system suitability, climate change and impact on greenhouse gas emissions, and social and economic feasibility. We describe the present distribution, need for common terminology, and benefits of Ag-MAR including groundwater storage, increased environmental flows, and domestic wells support. We then outline major gaps, namely, water quality impacts, and crop health and yield. We showcase the multidisciplinary approach needed for communication and coordination of Ag-MAR programs with stakeholders and the public and provide a framework for implementation. Finally, we outline a vision for the path to Ag-MAR implementation. Ag-MAR is an important approach for achieving groundwater sustainability. However, it is one of many necessary solutions and does not offset the need for groundwater conservation.

Alternative Flame Retardants in San Francisco Bay: Synthesis and Strategy

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | September 3rd, 2018

The RMP Small Tributaries Loading Strategy (STLS) Team and the Sources, Pathways and Loadings Workgroup (SPLWG) developed and funded a $13,000 special study in 2018 to re

The RMP Small Tributaries Loading Strategy (STLS) Team and the Sources, Pathways and Loadings Workgroup (SPLWG) developed and funded a $13,000 special study in 2018 to review available data and previously developed conceptual models for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) to support a stormwater-related alternative flame retardants conceptual model. This technical report summarizes the results of the study. 

Anthropogenic aerosols mask increases in US rainfall by greenhouse gases

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | February 22nd, 2024

Assessing the effectiveness of drywells as tools for stormwater management and aquifer recharge and their groundwater contamination potential

Journal of Hydrology (Elsevier) | May 24th, 2016

Drywells are gravity-fed, excavated pits with perforated casings used to facilitate stormwater infiltration and groundwater recharge in areas where drainage and diversion

Drywells are gravity-fed, excavated pits with perforated casings used to facilitate stormwater infiltration and groundwater recharge in areas where drainage and diversion of storm flows is problematic. Historically, drywells have predominantly been used as a form of stormwater management in locations that receive high volumes of precipitation; however the use of drywells is increasingly being evaluated as a method to supplement groundwater recharge, especially in areas facing severe drought. Studies have shown that drywells can be an effective means to increase recharge to aquifers; however, the potential for groundwater contamination caused by polluted stormwater runoff bypassing transport through surface soil and near surface sediment has prevented more widespread use of drywells as a recharge mechanism. Numerous studies have shown that groundwater and drinking water contamination from drywells can be avoided if drywells are used in appropriate locations and properly maintained. The effectiveness of drywells for aquifer recharge depends on the hydrogeologic setting and land use surrounding a site, as well as influent stormwater quantity and quality. These parameters may be informed for a specific drywell site through geologic and hydrologic characterization and adequate monitoring of stormwater and groundwater quality.

Bay Area Green Infrastructure Water Quality Synthesis

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | June 1st, 2018

San Francisco Bay is impacted by the numerous urban pollutants that flow from the surrounding landscape during storm events. In San Francisco Bay, total maximum daily lo

San Francisco Bay is impacted by the numerous urban pollutants that flow from the surrounding landscape during storm events. In San Francisco Bay, total maximum daily load (TMDL) clean-up plans are in place for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and mercury (Hg) (Davis et al., 2007; Davis et al., 2012). As municipalities strive to reach regulatory targets, green infrastructure (GI) presents a promising solution for managing stormwater pollutants while achieving additional environmental and social benefits. However, remaining data gaps including the best design layout, media composition, and vegetation and submerged zone effects on performance can prevent local managers from accurately assessing water quality benefits provided by green infrastructure as well as the maintenance needs to sustain adequate performance.