adapting the rmp to answer the important questions keeping the program relevant
Post on 27-Mar-2015
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Adapting the RMP to Answer the Important
Questions
Keeping the Program Relevant
Thanks to:
• Water Board Staff• Technical Review Committee and
Workgroups• Steering Committee• “Pulse of the Estuary” Team
Overview• Monitoring as Part of Adaptive
Management• What Have We Learned?• Which Questions Remain?• Moving Toward Proactive
Management
The Three “Cs”
1. How do pollutants compare to various guidelines?
2. Can pollutant changes be linked to changing inputs?
1. What should cleanup targets be?
2. Which pollutants accumulate faster than they can be degraded?
4. What is the relative magnitude of pollutant inputs from different pathways?
4. Can data from a few high intensity sites be projected to other watersheds?
3. Which factors influence effects of specific pollutants on biota?
3. Which pollutants bioaccumulate?
How Much Have We Learned?
Better understanding of relative loadings from various sources and transport pathways
• 2000
• 2005
San Francisco Estuary Institute
Rivers (11 kg)Small Tribs?
Local small tributaries in the Bay Area
Sacramento / San Joaquin Rivers
Suspended Sediment Hg PCBs
Lessons, continued• Management actions produce
results• Estuary and watershed processes
affect beneficial use restoration• Emerging pollutants require
increased attention
2000 2005
PCBs Top PCBs and Hg Top
PAHs High PBDEs High
OPs High Pyrethroids Medium?
Hg Medium Se Medium
Se Medium DDT, chlordane, dieldrin Medium
Cu Medium Cu Medium
Ni Medium Ni Medium
TBT Medium PAHs Low
Ag Medium Ag, As, Cd, Cr, Pb, Zn Low
Cd Medium OP pesticides Low?
Chlordane Low
DDT Low
The Evolution of Management Priorities for Restoring the Chemical Integrity of Water
Institutional and Communication
Lessons
Information “Clients”
• Water Boards• RMP Participants• EPA
• Neighbors• State Legislature• Congress
• Traditional: “Fix” problems after they have become “emergencies” in the public eye – TMDLs Forever!
• New: Anticipate problems through surveillance, develop predictive recovery models, emphasize risk assessment and problem prevention
Next Steps
• Systematic look at efficiencies• Modeling the system is now
possible!
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