Developing Water Quality Solutions for SF Bay Dyan

Developing Water Quality Solutions for SF Bay Dyan Whyte dcw@rb 2. swrcb. ca. gov California Regional Water Quality Control Board Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting San Francisco Bay Region 5/13/2003

Total Maximum Daily Load Clean Water Act § 303(d) requires States to: – Identify impaired waters – Adopt plans to restore and maintain water quality standards California: – TMDLs are adopted by incorporation into Basin Plans – Basin Planning process requires implementation plans Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

1998 303(d) Impaired Waters List 1472 listings statewide (400 – 800 projects) 160+ listings in SF Bay Region (33 projects? ) Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

San Francisco Bay listed as impaired by: Copper Pesticide toxicity Nickel Legacy pesticides Mercury Selenium PCBs Exotic species Dioxins/furans PAHs & PBDEs watch listed Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

303(d) List 1 2 4 TMDL Phases & Products Project Definition Project Planning 3 Data Collection Project Analyses Project Reports 5 -7 Regulatory Action/Process 8 Impairment assessment, conceptual model development Adaptive Implementation WQS Support. Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003 Basin Plan amendment

How to deal with uncertainty & complexity ? ? ? STOP! Do not proceed until all the facts are in and we understand the system perfectly and can take actions that we know will be 100% effective. Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

Coping with Complexity & Uncertainties Proceed but employ: the scientific method A cautious approach Flexibility Adaptive implementation Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

TMDL Projects Updates Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

Cu/Ni in SF Bay Outcomes of the TMDL project SSOs for South Bay calculated to fully protect beneficial uses Assessment suggested no impairment by ambient levels of copper Water quality protection plan that contains pollution prevention actions and ongoing monitoring to assess status Recommended de-listing Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

Keys to Cu/Ni project success Adequate Funding and data RMP baseline monitoring provided core data set to evaluate ambient conditions San Jose and other cities contributed > $2 million to improve scientific understanding and stakeholder involvement. Stakeholder involvement Consensus reached on complex technical issues. Technical Peer Review Ensured that the science component was sound. Paved the way for consensus on the policy issues. Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

Mercury transformations in the environment: From cinnabar to the sushi bar Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

SF Bay mercury sources Mercury Load (kg/yr) Bed Erosion 460 Central Valley Watershed 440 Urban Storm Water Runoff 160 Guadalupe River Watershed 92 Direct Atmospheric Deposition 27 Non-Urban Storm Water Runoff 25 Wastewater Total 19 1, 220 Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

WQ Standards (beneficial uses) Mercury Sources Sediment Target Used to Allocate Loads Fish Tissue Target Bird Egg Target Used to Evaluate Success Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003 Beneficial Uses

SF Bay Mercury TMDL Implementation Plan Reduce mercury loads to SF Bay. Reduce production of methyl mercury. Perform monitoring and focused studies to: – Assess progress toward targets – Refine load estimates – Evaluate appropriateness of targets – Evaluate controllability of loads. Encourage actions that address multiple contaminants Re-visit decisions on targets, allocations, and implementation actions every 5 - 10 years Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

Atmospheric Deposition Bioturbation, Scouring, Deposition & Resuspension, Transport, Dredging Golden Gate Outflow Point Sources Urban Runoff Spills & On-Land Contaminated Sites Non-Urban Runoff & Non-Point Sources Delta Inflow Surface Waters PCBs TMDL Conceptual Model Fish Biologically Active Sediment Layer Benthic Invertebrates & Plants Buried Sediment Layer Fish eating Wildlife Benthic & Plant eating Wildlife Humans Degradation, Sorption & Desorption, Diffusion Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

Stay tuned for … • SF Bay Hg final TMDL report • SF Bay PCBs preliminary and final TMDL reports • Guadalupe River source assessment & conceptual model report • Urban Creeks pesticide toxicity final TMDL report • Napa River sediments and nutrients preliminary project report • San Francisquito sediments preliminary project report • Sonoma Creek sediments and nutrients preliminary project report Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

Stay tuned for … Conceptual models and SF Bay impairment assessments for: – Legacy pesticides – Selenium – Pesticide toxicity – Dioxins/furans – PAHs – PBDEs Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003

Acknowledgements Thank you to the hard working TMDL staff, especially Bill Johnson Fred Hetzel Richard Looker Tom Mumley who let me pillage their slide collections Dyan Whyte RMP annual meeting 5/13/2003