Municipal Water Quality Investigations Program History and Studies 1983—2012
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State of California The Resources Agency Department of Water Resources Municipal Water Quality Investigations Program History and Studies 1983—2012 November 2013 Edmund Brown Jr. John Laird Mark W. Cowin Governor Secretary for Resources Director State of California The Resources Agency Department of Water Resources State of California Edmund G. Brown Jr., Governor California Natural Resources Agency John Laird, Secretary for Natural Resources Department of Water Resources Mark W. Cowin, Director Laura King Moon, Chief Deputy Director Office of the Chief Counsel Public Affairs Office Security Operations Cathy Crothers Nancy Vogel, Ass't Dir. Sonny Fong Gov't & Community Liaison Policy Advisor Legislative Affairs Office Kimberly Johnston~ Dodds Waiman Yip Kasey Schimke, Ass't Dir. Deputy Directors Paul Helliker Delta and Statewide Water Management Gary Bardini Integrated Water Management Carl Torgersen State Water Project John Pacheco California Energy Resources Scheduling Kathie Kishaba Business Operations Division of Environmental Services Dean F. Messer, Chief Office of Water Quality Stephani Spaar, Chief Municipal Water Quality Program Branch Municipal Water Quality Investigations Section Cindy Garcia, Chief Rachel Pisor, Chief Ofelia Bogdan, Staff Services Analyst Prepared By Sonia Miller, Project Leader Otome J. Lindsey Foreword The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) is a major source of drinking water for 25 million people of the State of California. Therefore, the quality of Delta water is an important consideration for its use as a drinking water source. However, Delta water quality may be degraded by a variety of sources and environmental factors. Close monitoring of Delta waters is necessary to ensure delivery of high quality source waters to urban water suppliers. The Municipal Water Quality Investigations (MWQI) Program, within the Department of Water Resources, is responsible for the monitoring and research of drinking water quality in the Delta. Among all State and local agencies monitoring the Delta and its tributaries, MWQI conducts the only monitoring program to investigate the quality of source waters in the Delta with respect to its suitability for the production of drinking water. Since 1983, the MWQI Program has been conducting comprehensive and systematic source water monitoring in the Delta region. Data and findings are presented for major water quality constituents, including organic carbon, bromide, salinity, regulated organic and inorganic constituents in drinking water, and a few unregulated constituents of current interest. The Real Time Data Forecasting-Comprehensive Program (RTDF-CP) focuses on providing a single location that compiles and disseminates real-time drinking water quality data gathered across agencies. This data enables water managers to make operating decisions based on observed and forecasted changes in water quality. The RTDF-CP includes a network of real-time water quality monitoring stations and a modeling component intended to allow greater predictive ability of water quality in real-time and the future. This and other MWQI Program reports are available online at the MWQI website: http://www .wq. water.ca.gov/mwqi/pubs.cfm For more information about the MWQI Program, please visit our homepage at http://www.wq.water.ca.gov/mwqi/mwqi index.cfm A Summary of the MWQI Program History and Studies 1983-2012 The Municipal Water Quality Program (MWQP) Branch currently consists of four sections. Three of these sections, MWQI, Water Quality Special Studies, and Field Support, constitute the Municipal Water Quality Investigations Program funded by the State Water Project Contractors Authority (SWPCA). Municipal Water Quality Section Rachel Pisor, Chief Marcia Scavone-Tansey, Environmental Scientist Shaun Rohrer, Environmental Scientist Jason Moore, Environmental Scientist Sonia Miller, Environmental Scientist Jeffrey Potter, Scientific Aid Water Quality Special Studies Section Theodore Swift, Senior Environmental Scientist Mark Bettencourt, Senior Environmental Scientist Quality Assurance/Quality Control Section Murage Ngatia, Environmental Scientist Field Support Section Steven San Julian, Chief Travis Brown, Environmental Scientist Arin Conner, Environmental Scientist Jeremy Del Cid, Environmental Scientist Richard Newens, Scientific Aid Editorial review, graphics, and report production Under direction of Supervisor of Technical Publications Patricia Cornelius Research Writers Mike Durant Frank Keeley Charlie Olivares Carole Rains Sarah Sol Marilee Talley Jeff Woled iii A Summary of the MWQI Program History and Studies 1983-2012 Contents Foreword ...................................................................................................................................... i Contents .................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments ..................................................................................................................... vii Executive Summary ................................................................................................................. viii Formation of Municipal Water Quality Investigations Program ......................................... viii Drinking Water Quality Monitoring ...................................................................................... ix Real Time Data and Forecasting Comprehensive Program ............................................... ix Emergency Response ......................................................................................................... x Program Management ........................................................................................................ x Chapter 1 — Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 2 — Formation of Municipal Water Quality Investigations Program ............................... 3 The Need for a Drinking Water Monitoring Program ............................................................ 3 Interagency Delta Health Aspects Monitoring Program ....................................................... 4 Delta Island Drainage Investigation Study ........................................................................... 4 MWQI Program ................................................................................................................... 4 MWQI Mission Statement ................................................................................................... 6 Program Structure and Organization ................................................................................... 6 Chapter 3 — Drinking Water Quality Monitoring .......................................................................... 8 Discrete Monitoring ............................................................................................................. 8 MWQI Real Time Monitoring ............................................................................................... 8 Chapter 4 — Real Time Data and Forecasting Comprehensive Program .................................. 12 Real Time Monitoring ........................................................................................................ 12 Data Dissemination ........................................................................................................... 12 Forecasting and Modeling ................................................................................................. 13 Chapter 5 — Emergency Response .......................................................................................... 15 Emergency Response Elements ....................................................................................... 15 Ongoing Efforts ................................................................................................................. 16 Chapter 6 — Program Management ......................................................................................... 17 Program Sections ............................................................................................................. 17 Funding ............................................................................................................................. 17 Committees ....................................................................................................................... 17 Achievements ................................................................................................................... 18 Chapter 7 — Discrete Monitoring and Supporting Reports ........................................................ 19 Public Health Aspects of Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Water Supplies, A Panel Report for the California Department of Water Resources ................................................ 20 Interagency Delta Health Aspects Monitoring Program Project Report 1983-1984 ............ 22 Interagency Delta Health Aspects Monitoring Program Project Report 1985-1986 ............ 24 Interagency Delta Health Aspects Monitoring Program Monitoring Results 1986-1987 ..... 26 Project Report of the Interagency Delta Health Aspects Monitoring Program (Municipal Water Quality Investigations Program) Summary of Monitoring Results January 1988–December 1989 ........................................................................................... 29 The Delta as a Source of Drinking Water Monitoring Results 1983-1987