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San Francisco Estuary Institute

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San Francisco Estuary Institute
Founded1992
Type501(c)(3)
FocusEnvironmental research and monitoring
Location
Area served
San Francisco Bay Area
Key people
Ann Hayden, Board Chair
Warner Chabot, Executive Director
Budget
$13.9M (2023)
Revenue
Government and private sector contracts, grants, donations
Websitesfei.org

The San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) is a nonprofit research institute focusing on the estuaries and ecosystems of San Francisco Bay and Northern California. SFEI was created in 1992 in order to coordinate integrated research and monitoring of the Bay.[1] SFEI administers the Aquatic Science Center, a joint powers authority (JPA), which is an agency formed when multiple government agencies have a common mission that can be better achieved by pooling resources and knowledge.[2][3] SFEI's precursor was the Aquatic Habitat Institute, created in 1986.[4]

Research

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Water quality monitoring

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SFEI has managed the Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (RMP) since its beginning in 1993.[5] Scientists monitor pollutants in water, sediment, and in Bay wildlife, including bivalves, fish, bird eggs, and harbor seals. Samples are analyzed for mercury, PCBs, pesticides, metals, and a variety of contaminants of emerging concern.

Thousands of man-made chemicals are found in Bay water, sediment, and organisms. For many of these, there is little or no data on their impacts on the environment or human health, and they are not regulated by state or federal law. These are often referred to as "contaminants of emerging concern" or CECs. SFEI has studied these chemicals in the Bay since 2001.[6] Scientists have identified the following most likely to have a negative impact on Bay wildlife: PFOS, the pesticide fipronil, nonylphenols and nonylphenol ethoxylates.[7]

Information developed by the RMP is used by state regulators to set Total Maximum Daily Loads. RMP data has also been used in the development of fish consumption advisories by California's Department of Public Health. Levels of PCBs and mercury in certain species of sportfish in San Francisco Bay exceed safe levels for human consumption.[8] The RMP collected data on copper in stormwater, which is toxic to aquatic organisms at elevated concentrations. These data contributed to the passage of California Senate Bill 346, also known as the California Motor Vehicle Brake Friction Material Law. This law supports the development of alternative, less toxic materials for use in brake pads.[5]

Ecology

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SFEI scientists have made wide use of the techniques of historical ecology, which incorporates information from historical maps and other records to learn how and ecosystems have changed over time. This information is used to help guide restoration and management plans for wetlands and other landscapes.[9]

Information Technology

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SFEI staff have collaborated with NASA scientists to develop an early-warning system for harmful algal blooms, based on satellite remote sensing data and artificial intelligence.[10]

History

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In 1987, the San Francisco Estuary Project (SFEP, a state and federal cooperative program) began creating a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) for the San Francisco Estuary, involving over 100 stakeholders. The CCMP led to the establishment of the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) and the Regional Monitoring Program (RMP).

In 1992, the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board mandated the implementation of a regional pollutant monitoring program in the Bay. Under the federal Clean Water Act and the state Porter Cologne Water Quality Act, polluters must have a discharge permit, and must monitor discharges (compliance monitoring) and in the water body near their discharge (receiving water impacts monitoring). This results in a patchwork of data that is not well-suited for science or management.[1] By contrast, coordinated monitoring programs can gather information relevant to managers and with clear scientific objectives. Because cooperative programs can be more efficient and useful, several such programs have been created in the United States, for example for the Chesapeake Bay,[11] in Puget Sound,[12] and the Southern California Bight.[13]

In 1993, the Aquatic Habitat Institute was reorganized as SFEI and the RMP officially began, using previous pilot studies to guide its monitoring efforts.[14] The RMP annual budget has grown from $1.2 million in 1993 to $5.4 million in 2024.[15]

In the early 1990s, California regulatory agencies established numeric criteria for several pollutants, but little was known about whether waterways exceeded these criteria. Early work by the RMP focused on sampling water in the Bay to determine its status, and whether pollutant concentrations met or exceeded standards. In subsequent years, the RMP has expanded its objectives to include estimating inputs ("loads") of pollutants to the Bay, understanding how pollutants enter waterways ("pathways"), and effects of pollutants on wildlife. These goals assist regulators in developing Total Maximum Daily Loads and issuing discharge permits required by the US Clean Water Act and California's Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act.[4]

SFEI is located in Richmond, California. SFEI's original location (in 1993) was in Oakland, California, with subsequent offices at the Richmond Field Station before moving to the present location in 2007.

Member Agencies

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The Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (RMP) is funded by permitted dischargers including oil refineries, industrial facilities, dredgers, wastewater treatment facilities, and municipal stormwater management programs. For a full list, see Appendix A in the RMP charter.[16] Members participate in the RMP in exchange for some regulatory relief, or exemption from conducting some monitoring that would normally be required under the Clean Water Act and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. Participants elect representatives to serve on various committees, through which they oversee finances, guide the management of the program, and provide input and peer review of the science. In addition, the RMP has over a dozen science advisors, nationally recognized experts in fields of environmental science.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Trowbridge, P. R.; Davis, J. A.; Mumley, T.; Taberski, K.; Feger, N.; Valiela, L.; Ervin, J.; Arsem, N.; Olivieri, A.; Carroll, P.; J. Coleman; P. Salopi; R. Sutton; D. Yee; L.J. McKee; M. Sedlak; C. Grosso; J. Kelly (2016). "The Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay, California, USA: Science in support of managing water quality". Regional Studies in Marine Science. 4: 21–33. doi:10.1016/j.rsma.2015.10.002. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
  2. ^ National Research Council (2009). Urban Stormwater Management in the United States. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-12540-6.
  3. ^ Sharpsteen, Bill (2010). Dirty water: one man's fight to clean up one of the world's most polluted bays. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-94475-6. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
  4. ^ a b Hoenicke, Rainer; Davis, Jay A.; Gunther, Andrew; Mumley, Thomas E.; Abu-Saba, Khalil; Taberski, Karen (2003-01-01). "Effective Application of Monitoring Information: The Case of San Francisco Bay". Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 81 (1): 15–25. doi:10.1023/A:1021344117229. ISSN 1573-2959. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  5. ^ a b SFEI (2017). The Pulse of the Bay: The 25th Anniversary of the RMP. Richmond, CA: San Francisco Estuary Institute. p. 96.
  6. ^ SFEI (2013). 2013 Pulse of the Bay: Contaminants of Emerging Concern. Richmond, California: San Francisco Estuary Institute. p. 98.
  7. ^ Miller, Ezra; Mendez, Miguel; Shimabuku, Ila; Buzby, Nina; Sutton, Rebecca (September 2020). Contaminants of Emerging Concern in San Francisco Bay: A Strategy for Future Investigations 2020 Update (PDF). Richmond, California: San Francisco Estuary Institute. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  8. ^ Klasing, Susan; Brodberg, Robert (2008). Development of Fish Contaminant Goals and Advisory Tissue Levels (ATLs) for Common Contaminants in California Sport Fish: Chlordane, Ddts, Dieldrin, Methylmercury, PCBs, Selenium, and Toxaphene. CalEPA Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. p. 122.
  9. ^ Dusterhoff, Scott; Whipple, Alison; Baumgarten, Sean; Robinson, April; Shaw, Samuel; Stark, Kyle; Askevold, Ruth (2023). Restoration Plan for the Laguna de Santa Rosa. Richmond, California: San Francisco Estuary Institute.
  10. ^ Potter, Christopher S.; Croteau, Amanda Nichole. Using Landsat 8 Satellite Imagery to Analyze Biogeochemical Constituents in the Waters of the San Francisco Bay Area and Beyond. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2021. New Orleans, LA/Virtual. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  11. ^ Linker, Lewis C.; Batiuk, Richard A.; Shenk, Gary W.; Cerco, Carl F. (2013). "Development of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Total Maximum Daily Load Allocation". JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association. 49 (5). doi:10.1111/jawr.12105. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  12. ^ Koontz, Tomas M.; Thomas, Craig W. (2018-10-01). "Use of science in collaborative environmental management: Evidence from local watershed partnerships in the Puget Sound". Environmental Science & Policy. 88: 17–23. doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2018.06.007. ISSN 1462-9011. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  13. ^ Bernstein, Brock B.; Weisberg, Stephen B. (2003). "Southern California's marine monitoring system ten years after the National Research Council evaluation". Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 81: 3–14. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  14. ^ Davis, Jay; Flegal, A.; Taberski, K.; Buchan, K.; Tucker, D.; Gunther, A. (2006). The Regional Monitoring Program: Science in Support of Managing Water Quality in San Francisco Bay. Oakland, California. p. 51.
  15. ^ Kleckner, Amy (2024). Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay: 2024 Detailed Workplan and Budget. San Francisco Estuary Institute.
  16. ^ M.M. Foley; J.A. Davis (2022), Charter: Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (PDF), San Francisco Estuary Institute, retrieved 2024-08-16>
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