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 New Approach to Accounting for Environmental Water Insights from the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | November 9th, 2017

How water is apportioned to California’s cities, farms, and the environment can lead to conflict and competition in times of drought. Allocation of water to the environ

How water is apportioned to California’s cities, farms, and the environment can lead to conflict and competition in times of drought. Allocation of water to the environment in particular is poorly accounted for and poorly understood—shortcomings that can affect water policy, decision making, and public perception. This report reviews the state’s long-standing methods for defining and accounting for environmental water and proposes reforms to improve the timeliness, transparency, and detail in the accounting of environmental water allocation.

A Preliminary Study of the Effects of Water Circulation in the San Francisco Bay Estuary

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 15th, 1970

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 Review of Delta Fish Population Losses from Pumping Operations in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta

Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (RegionalSan) | January 30th, 2010

To reduce fish loss at the pumps, the state and federal water export facilities operate facilities which are designed to salvage fish from the water and return them to th

To reduce fish loss at the pumps, the state and federal water export facilities operate facilities which are designed to salvage fish from the water and return them to the Delta. Fish facilities include the SWP Skinner Fish Protection Facility and CVP Tracy Fish Collection Facility. The fish facilities utilize two sets of louvers to prevent fish from entering further into water project operations and ultimately the powerful pumps. The louvers concentrate fish so that they can be removed prior to the water diversions. However, these fish salvage operations are inefficient, as high numbers of fish are lost due to predation in the waterways leading to the fish facilities, and the louvers are inefficient.

A Review of the Use of Science and Adaptive Management in California's Draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan

National Academy of Sciences (NAS) | January 1st, 2011

The San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary is a large, complex estuarine ecosystem in California. It has been substantially altered by dikes, levees, channelization, pumps,

The San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary is a large, complex estuarine ecosystem in California. It has been substantially altered by dikes, levees, channelization, pumps, human development, introduced species, dams on its tributary streams and contaminants. The Delta supplies water from the state's wetter northern regions to the drier southern regions and also serves as habitat for many species, some of which are threatened and endangered. The restoration of water exacerbated tensions over water allocation in recent years, and have led to various attempts to develop comprehensive plans to provide reliable water supplies and to protect the ecosystem. One of these plans is the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). The report, A Review of the Use of Science and Adaptive Management in California's Draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan, determines that the plan is incomplete in a number of important areas and takes this opportunity to identify key scientific and structural gaps that, if addressed, could lead to a more successful and comprehensive final BDCP. The plan is missing the type of structure usually associated with current planning methods in which the goals and objectives are specified, alternative measure for achieving the objectives are introduced and analyzed, and a course of action in identified based on analytical optimization of economic, social, and environmental factors. Yet the panel underscores the importance of a credible and a robust BDCP in addressing the various water management problems that beset the Delta. A stronger, more complete, and more scientifically credible BDCP that effectively integrates and utilizes science could indeed pave the way toward the next generation of solutions to California's chronic water problems.

A Review of the Use of Science and Adaptive Management in California’s Draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan

National Academy of Sciences (NAS) | May 5th, 2011

California’s draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan—a draft plan to conserve habitat for endangered and threatened species, while continuing to divert water to agriculture

California’s draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan—a draft plan to conserve habitat for endangered and threatened species, while continuing to divert water to agriculture and domestic water users in central and southern California—is incomplete and contains critical scientific gaps. The Bay Delta is a large, complex ecosystem that supplies water from the state’s wetter northern regions to the drier southern regions, and also serves as habitat for many species. The Bay Delta Conservation Plan describes a proposal to construct a tunnel or canal to divert water from the northern Delta to the south, thus reducing the need to convey water through the Delta. This report reviews the use of science and adaptive management in the draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan and identifies opportunities to develop a more successful plan.

A Spatiotemporal History of Key Pelagic Fish Species in the San Francisco Estuary, CA

Springer | April 11th, 2023

A Study of Economic and Financial Policies for State Water Projects

State of California | August 5th, 1959

A Summary of Water-Quality Monitoring in San Francisco Bay in Water Year 2017

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 1st, 2020

This report summarizes the activities of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) San Francisco Bay Water-Quality Monitoring and Sediment Transport Project during water

This report summarizes the activities of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) San Francisco Bay Water-Quality Monitoring and Sediment Transport Project during water year 2017, including an explanation of methods employed, stations operated, and a graphical summary of data for the period of record for stations operational in water year 2017. In cooperation with partner agencies, the USGS maintains a network of sensors that continuously and autonomously measures water-quality parameters in San Francisco Bay including water temperature, specific conductance, turbidity, and suspended-sediment concentration. Data are collected at several locations in the estuary by a network of water-quality sondes sampled at 15-minute intervals. Methods of data collection are presented along with documentation of the regression models utilized to estimate suspended-sediment concentration from observed turbidity, a commonly utilized surrogate to estimate suspended-sediment concentration. The goals of the data collection effort are to (1) obtain long-term, high-frequency, and high-quality data to describe San Francisco Bay water quality; (2) make the data publicly available on the USGS National Water Information System data portal; and (3) help improve understanding of the spatial and temporal variability of water quality in the estuary, informing management decisions regarding restoration, water supply, navigation, and ecology.