AN OVERVIEW

Jay A. Davis
San Francisco Estuary Institute
Under New Management
THE OLD RMP
Rainer Hoenicke
Bruce Thompson
TRC, SC
RMP Staff
THE NEW RMP
Jay Davis
Sarah Lowe
Bruce Thompson
TRC, SC
RMP Staff
My Priorities for the RMP

Technical excellence
Peer Review
Publication
Data interpretation
Mass budgets and modeling: prediction
Current, well-organized web site
Responsive to deadlines and budgets
Retain our excellent staff
RMP Redesign Process
Five Year Review Panel (1997)
RMP Workgroups
Chlorinated Hydrocarbons (1998)
Sources, Pathways, and Loadings (1998)
Sediment (1998)
Registered Pesticides (1998)
Bioaccumulation (1999)
Design Integration (2000)
Sediment to Biota Transfer (2001)
Exposure and Effects (2001)
Role of Regional Board: Karen Taberski
Reconvene Review Panel in 2003
RMP Objectives (1998)
Describe patterns and trends in contaminant
concentration and distribution
Compare monitoring information to relevant water
quality objectives and other guidelines
Describe general sources and loading of
contamination to the Estuary
Measure contaminant effects on selected parts of the
Estuary ecosystem
Synthesize and distribute information from a range of
sources to present a more complete picture of the
sources, distribution, fates, and effects of
contaminants in the Estuary ecosystem
RMP Components

1) Program Management
2) Information Management
3) Status and Trends
4) Pilot Studies
5) Special Studies
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2) Information Management

Data Management (Cristina Grosso)

Web Site (Patricia Chambers)
Information Dissemination (Patricia Chambers)
Annual Reporting
Pulse of the Estuary (Mike May)
Annual Data Summary (Cristina Grosso)
Quality Assurance (Don Yee)
Data Integration (Ben Greenfield)
Data Integration
THE OLD RMP
Done through special studies

THE NEW RMP

Explicit part of core program
2002 Tasks:
 Develop multi-box PCB model (with USGS)
 Publication of PCB and PAH work
 Mass budgets for OC pesticides
 Mercury accumulation model
 Integration of NOAA and EMAP data
3) Status and Trends
Field Work (AMS, SFEI)
Water Chemistry (UCSC, Brooks-Rand, Axys)
Aquatic Toxicity (PERL)
Fixed station, Episodic
Sediment Chemistry (UCSC, Brooks-Rand, BACWA)
Sediment Toxicity (GCML)
Factors Controlling Suspended Sediment (USGS)
Hydrography and Phytoplankton (USGS)
Bivalve Chemistry (DFG)
Fish Chemistry (MLML, DFG): Ben Greenfield
Water and Sediment Sampling
THE OLD RMP
 The “Base” Program
 Fixed stations
 Focus on channels
 Seasonal sampling
THE NEW RMP
 The “Status and Trends” Program
 Redesign work led by Sarah Lowe and Don Stevens
 Randomly selected locations
 Equal emphasis on shallows and channels
 More spatial coverage, no seasonal sampling
Analytes
THE OLD RMP
 Old, abbreviated list of priority pollutants

THE NEW RMP

 Surveillance monitoring: Identification of “new” analytes
 Special study led by Daniel Oros and Bob Risebrough
 Inclusion of selected analytes in all RMP monitoring
 Water monitoring of all priority pollutants: Don Yee
4) Pilot Studies

Atmospheric Deposition (Mercury Deposition

Network)
Estuary Interface Pilot Study: Jon Leatherbarrow
Exposure and Effects Pilot Study (EEPS!)
Contaminant Effects
THE OLD RMP
 Toxicity testing
THE NEW RMP
EEPS, led by Jay Davis and Sarah Lowe
 Avian egg chemical trend monitoring (SFEI)
 Diving duck and clam chemistry (DFG)
 Avian effects (USFWS): Steve Schwarzbach
 Seal exposure and effects (SFSU, PRNS, MLML)
 Toxicity testing and test refinement (GCML, PERL)
 Benthic community effects (NOAA/USEPA)
 Fish effects (NOAA)
5) Special Studies

Evaluation of Contaminants of Concern

Mass Budget Models
SPL Literature Review and Planning
SPL Field Studies
Sources, Pathways, and Loading
THE OLD RMP
 No targeted SPL work

THE NEW RMP

 SPL Workgroup: Lester McKee
 Literature reviews and workplan development
 Field studies
 Loading of Particle-Associated Contaminants from
Rivers
 Contaminant Transfer from Sediment to Biota
 Loading of Particle-Associated Contaminants from
Small Tributaries
 Prioritization of Small Tributaries
Contaminant Profile: Copper/Nickel

“Synthesize and distribute information from a

range of sources…”
Regional Board perspective: Richard Looker
South Bay TMDL: Tom Grieb
North of Dumbarton TMDL: Tom Grovhoug
In Closing

The RMP is a world-class monitoring program

We want to continue to improve
Present challenge in managing the Program
is in finding the best way to meet the new
objectives within the existing budget
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