ESTUARY News September 2017, Vol

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ESTUARY 1 SCIENCE • RESTORATION • WATERSHED • POLITICS SPECIES BAY San Francisco Estuary Partnership

Eight Bay Area Water Districts Craft Regional Contingency Plan for Drought

Juggling Jams and Floods on the North Bay’s Highway 37

Jewels in the Mountains Bring Sparkle to the Bay

Why Head-Weaving Sea Lions Need Help

Prepping for Rising Sea Levels Brings Out County Nuances

On the Road Exploring the Delta’s Heritage

New Technique Helps Sturgeon Survive Tests

25-Year Old Program a Beacon of Environmental Protection NE WS

SEPTEMBER 2017 VOL. 26, NO. 3

County SLR Planning ...... 2 Highway 37 ...... 3 Open Space ...... 5 Delta Heritage ...... 7 Regional Drought Plan . . . . 10 Conveyance ...... 12 Koller Profile ...... 13 Sturgeon Surgeons ...... 14 RMP 25th ...... 15 2 SEPTEMBER 2017 ESTUARY NEWS CLIMATE Prepping for SLR — Who’s On First?

On an uncommonly sultry Thurs- Conservation and Development day evening at the end of August Commission’s Adapting to Rising several dozen people gathered in a Tides (ART) project, which used new grove at San Mateo’s Coyote Point, FEMA coastal maps to develop de- sipping beer and listening to a pre- tailed flooding projections for all nine sentation on sea level rise by staff Bay Area counties. “We’ve developed from San Mateo County’s Office of inundation maps that identify where Sustainability. Then, accompanied by the water is coming from, the type of the sound of gunshots from a nearby shoreline, levees, berms, the height firing range, everyone trooped down of tides and elevation of the shoreline to the Bay’s edge, where temporary in each location” says BCDC’s Lindy markers indicated how high the wa- Lowe. This article checks in with a ter would rise under three different variety of municipalities and planning scenarios. In the most dire projec- efforts around the Bay to see how tion, water would cover the heads of prepared they are for the rising the people standing on the beach. seas, storm surges, and increased flooding promised by our climate The event, “Shrinking Shores,” changed future. was presented by Sea Change San Mateo County, one a handful of Go online to county-level projects around the Bay www.sfestuary.org/estuary-news that aim to assess local vulnerability to read this in-depth story in full, to sea level rise and develop long- complete with details, photos, and Closure of Highway 37 in the winter of 2017. term adaptation strategies. Many of comments from around the Bay. Photo courtesy Sonoma Transportation Authority. these projects are linked to the Bay

local ecosystems. Yet some boaters into the app. Users can also report is- DOCKSIDE still dump — even with maps showing sues and upload photos, expediting the the location of 90 pumpout stations repair process. Shorter Hunt for around the Estuary that can send the “Boaters want convenient ser- waste to a treatment plant. Working Pumpouts vices and access to those services “One of the greatest frustrations and education,” says Vivian Matuk, Most Bay and Delta boaters know we‘ve heard is that pumpout stations DPW environmental boating program that discharging their waste overboard sometimes don’t work once boaters coordinator. “The app is both a more is a no-no, as dumping raw sewage get there,” says Adrien Baudrimont, efficient way to maintain the pumpout is hazardous to human health and San Francisco Estuary Partnership stations and a more reliable way than (SFEP)environmental planner. using paper to collect data.” Old-fashioned maps haven’t solved Pumpout Nav covers five coun- the problem. And 74 percent of all ties in the Southern California region boaters aren’t aware that they could as well. Recently, several states and be fined $2,000 for dumping raw sew- regions across the U.S. expressed age into California waters, according interest in the app after Baudrimont to a 2011 survey conducted by the and his team gave a demonstration at state’s Division of Boating and Water- a conference. They’ll be able get their ways (DPW). pumpout stations into the app after SFEP finishes its second version. And So the Partnership developed since California will continue to host Pumpout Nav, an app that uses geolo- the app, other states will not have to cation to show which stations nearby pay to participate. are in good working order — and which ones aren’t. Funded by a Clean “The goal is to maximize the impact Vessel Act grant, the app helps ad- of California’s Clean Vessel Act grant vance the Partnership’s goal of reduc- money,” Matuk says. “The dollars ing the amount of sewage discharged we’re investing in the app into the Bay and Delta. are being stretched as much as possible.” KrW Pumpout Nav also enables the Partnership and marina managers to Pumpout Nav, dbw.parks.ca.gov/ conduct regular monitoring of each ?page_id=29601 (free download for iOS station by entering testing data directly and Android) 3 INFRASTRUCTURE High Road for the Wettest Highway? As Bay Area cities and counties While it wasn’t the first time flood- Intertwined with the discussion of grapple with the formidable challenge ing impacted Highway 37, it’s very Highway 37’s future are its surround- of preparing for a higher San Francisco clear that it won’t be the last. A 2012 ings. Over the past few decades, the Bay, there is perhaps no better ex- study by the Road Ecology Center restoration community has made a ample of the obstacles and opportuni- at the University of California, Davis significant investment in conserving and ties than the effort underway to adapt pointed out the highway’s numerous restoring thousands of acres of wetlands Highway 37. vulnerabilities to flooding and sea level and open space in the North Bay. rise, and estimated that within 30-40 The 21-mile North Bay corridor years various low spots in levees pro- “This project is the opportunity of a running from Vallejo to Novato has tecting the highway could fail to hold lifetime because it crosses four counties, connects two major highways, long been a source of tranquility and off rising bay waters. frustration. The highway offers sweep- and is surrounded by tremendous ing views of tidal baylands dotted with “Obviously there was a growing sense ecological resources,” says Jessica roosting waterfowl and shorebirds of urgency due to the traffic, but the Davenport, a Project Manager with the plumbing mudflats for food, along floods from last winter and road closure California State Coastal Conservancy. with mile upon mile of open space — in Marin drove home the point that the “We don’t want to miss this chance a bounty of natural land made pos- sea level rise that seemed far off maybe to come together and create a world sible by decades of careful planning isn’t as far off as we think,” says Daryl class adaptation, restoration, and and restoration work. And commuters Halls, Executive Director of the Solano transportation project.” County Transportation Authority. often have ample time to enjoy the In 2015, decades of work and plan- scenery: Highway 37 is one of the most Both Smith and Halls staff the ning culminated with the Sears Point congested in the region, with peak Highway 37 Policy Committee, a group and Cullinan Ranch restoration proj- traffic producing delays as much as composed of twelve elected officials ects breaching levees to cheers, as bay 40 to 80 minutes in each direction. from Solano, Napa, Sonoma and Marin waters returned to several thousands Counties that has been meeting bi- of acres that had been diked off for Congestion isn’t the only problem monthly to wrestle with how to improve farming over a century ago. facing Highway 37. This past winter a the beleaguered corridor before things “We’ve been working down in the combination of storms and high tides get worse. caused Novato Creek to spill onto the baylands since the eighties,” says low-lying highway, shutting it down for Like flooding, Highway 37’s conges- Julian Meisler, Baylands Program a total of 28 days. tion is projected to significantly increase Manager at the Sonoma Land Trust. in the future. And the hotspot for both His organization bought the Tolay Creek “The only upside of the storm event problems is the 9.3-mile stretch from Ranch, the Sonoma Baylands and Sears is that it highlighted how vulnerable Sears Point to the Napa River bridge. In Point – all of which surround Highway portions of this corridor are,” notes this segment Highway 37 narrows to two 37. According to Meisler, the Land Suzanne Smith, Executive Director of lanes more suitable for a few tractors Trust has protected about 6,500 acres the Sonoma County Transportation pulling hay than the estimated 45,000 just in the Sonoma County area around Authority. “If a portion of the corridor daily trips it receives today. The road lies Highway 37. And in Solano County, goes down it has a significant impact mere feet above the high tide line, often Ducks Unlimited and the California on alternative routes which are limited with only a narrow strip marsh between Department of Fish and Wildlife have in the North Bay.” the highway and the Bay. conserved and restored thousands more acres near the highway. “At least $100 million, and maybe double that, has been spent,” says Meisler. 126 For the restoration community, Highway 37 presents both a barrier and an opportunity. The highway dis- connects the tidally-restored baylands from adjacent open spaces, preventing habitats and species from being able to migrate to higher ground as the bay advances. 6378 “The highway interrupts the ecological processes,” explains Meisler. “In some cases it’s preventing the marsh from moving inland, in some cases it’s preventing stormwater from flowing outward, in some cases it’s preventing tidal water from moving upstream.” Photo courtesy Solano Transportation Authority & Caltrans continued next page 4 SEPTEMBER 2017 ESTUARY NEWS other options such as a public-private partnership where risk, liability, management, and toll revenue are split between a private partner and government. While no decision has been made yet, more and more committee members have ac- knowledged publically that a toll seems to be the only way to raise the funds needed to fix the highway. “The whole issue of whether to toll the corridor, that’s a huge policy call. All we’re Map courtesy of saying is without fund- Road Ecology Center, UC Davis ing you don’t have improvements,” says If Highway 37 were elevated, high enough (a tricky issue as settle- Halls. “That’s a question rainfall and tidal waters could flow ment of the soft bay mud under the for the public — are they willing to unimpeded to and from the bay as levee already exacerbates the road’s consider what I call a ‘user fee’ to get motorists pass by high above, yield- current vulnerability to flooding). The this project going?” ing two-way passage for both people other option, building a four-lane and wildlife. The benefits are many, causeway, would cost three or four Any tolling proposal for the highway according to Meisler: reconnecting times as much, but would minimize raises serious questions regarding natural processes rather than fortify- environmental impacts. social equity. Highway 37 is the last ing against them can help prevent major trans-bay route without a toll, Smith emphasizes that these op- flooding, saltwater intrusion, and and its commuters mostly live in the tions are just sketch-level concepts. habitat loss. “It becomes a much more lower-income Solano County and “[In the future] we’ll be exploring functional system and one that would work in wealthier Marin and Sonoma more how you mix and match a levee probably cost a lot less from a mainte- Counties. and a causeway system in order to nance perspective for whomever ends maximize benefits to the baylands and Tolling, equity, and the ecological up managing that road.” species out there,” she says. “I can’t impacts of the proposed solutions are Davenport agrees. She has been imagine it will be just one big cause- expected to be big topics of discus- coordinating a group of restoration way or just one big berm, but it will be sion in a series of public engagement organizations and land managers that some combination.” workshops taking place in the four have formed their own committee, counties from September 20 to Whatever solution is decided upon, called the State Route 37 Baylands October 2, 2017. it won’t be cheap. The estimated price Group. “There was a concern that with tag to fix just the most vulnerable As frustration with congestion this accelerated schedule for redesign 9.3-mile segment ranges from $700 increases, and water levels creep and construction of the highway there million to $2.5 billion. And to fix the higher, there is a tension between might not be enough attention paid to whole highway? Something like $1.3- moving full speed ahead on fixing the ecological values of the area and $4.3 billion. the corridor’s issues and proceeding how to protect and enhance them,” in a deliberate, transparent process she says. “We wanted to pull exist- The daunting cost is why the High- in order to ensure all stakeholder’s ing knowledge together in a way that way 37 Policy Committee has engaged concerns are met. could be communicated to both trans- in serious discussion over the pos- portation planners and the public.” sibility of tolling the highway – and “We’re trying to get all the right they are not the only ones interested. people to the table to not just talk, but to Looming over the hurdles facing In May of 2016, a private venture actually do something,” says Halls. IP Highway 37 is the price. The 2012 group submitted an unsolicited bid UC Davis study evaluated two basic CONTACT suzanne.smith scta.ca.gov; to the committee, in effect offering to @ options: expanding the levee that the Daryl Halls, [email protected]; Julian fully fund the project in exchange for Meisler, julian sonomalandtrust.org; road currently sits on or replacing it @ Caltrans relinquishing the highway Jessica.Davenport scc.ca.gov with an elevated causeway. Each po- @ segment to the company, along with tential solution brings with it complex Don’t miss the in-depth online story its potential toll revenue. engineering problems: widening and at www.sfestuary.org/estuary-news raising the existing levee to accommo- But full privatization is just one way date extra lanes and future water lev- to bankroll the project. The Highway 37 els raises questions about how high is Policy Committee has been exploring 5

WATERSHEDS small yet viable run of steelhead below Chabot — and for countless other species along the creek’s 22-mile run to the Bay, where it delivers fresh water Choice Mountain Parcels to one of the East Bay’s most important wetlands. Sixty miles north on the slopes Help Preserve Bay of Mount St. Helena, a similar story played out early this year. The protec- Follow San Leandro Creek up- In November 2016 the John Muir tion of 7,300 acres adjacent to Robert stream from its mouth at Arrowhead Land Trust announced one of its larg- Louis Stevenson State Park hinged Marsh, across the flats of East Oakland est-ever purchases, the 604-acre Carr not only on its dense forests, volca- and San Leandro, under two freeways, Ranch located southeast of Moraga nic rocks, serpentine soils, and sev- and finally into the hills where it flows within San Leandro Creek’s upper wa- eral dozen threatened or endangered through the Lake Chabot Dam, and tershed. Purchased in partnership with species, but also on its rich water you’ve traced only part of its remark- the East Bay Municipal Utility District resources. Some 44,000 acre-feet of able journey. The creek’s headwaters (EBMUD), which now holds title, the water fall on the property annually, of deep in the hills, miles upstream of property is bounded on three sides by which more than half — enough for Chabot, represent an even greater other water-district lands and fills a roughly 35,000 households — flows prize for the Martinez-based John Muir significant gap in a patchwork of open- off in surface creeks and streams. The Land Trust, which seeks to permanent- space protection that also includes remainder seeps down into the water ly protect East Bay open spaces. Oakland’s Redwood Regional Park. table to be slowly released over the years through some 60 to 70 springs, Similar conservation targets exist “The watershed is relatively unde- says Brendan Moriarty of the San across the Bay Area, particularly on veloped, other than the city of Moraga,” Francisco-based Trust for Public Land, the outskirts: sprawling, undeveloped, says Jose Setka, Manager of Fisheries which worked with the Land Trust of privately owned parcels whose protec- and Wildlife for EBMUD. “I think it’s Napa County to secure a conservation tion sends a variety of benefits cas- less than 10 percent of the total water- easement earlier this year. cading downhill toward cities and the shed. So acquiring a piece of property The property also contains the bay. Headwater channels — the steep, like Carr Ranch is important for keep- headwaters of St. Helena Creek and confined, generally ephemeral chan- ing the level of development low.” nels at the top of watersheds — are drains primarily to Lake Berryessa, a primary sources of runoff, nutrients, All creeks and streams in the critical source of water and hydroelec- sediments, and woody debris for down- vicinity flow first into the Upper San tric power for the North Bay. Below the stream reaches, says Christina Toms Leandro Creek Reservoir, a source of reservoir, the water continues through of the San Francisco Regional Water drinking water for tens of thousands Putah Creek to the Yolo Bypass and Quality Control Board. “Without proper of East Bay families, before draining to finally the San Francisco Bay. stewardship of these systems, it would Lake Chabot four miles downstream. Representing more than 70 different be difficult if not impossible to protect Limiting development here also pre- parcels assembled over the course of water quality and habitats in down- serves water for fish, Setka says — 137 years, the property remains in pri- stream, more perennial reaches and particularly the native rainbow trout the Bay.” in Upper San Leandro Reservoir and a continued on next page

Carr Ranch. Photo by Adam Weidenbach. 6 SEPTEMBER 2017 ESTUARY NEWS WATERSHEDS, cont’d from page 5 capture and sink additional rainwater CONTACTS before it reaches urban flood channels [email protected]; vate hands and lacks public access, but in the lower watershed, Mendenhall [email protected]; is now prevented from being subdivided says: further proof that while upper wa- [email protected] and developed into vineyards — not an tersheds may be remote, their benefits otherwise unlikely fate given market are anything but. NS pressures and the abundance of water, Moriarty says. HEADWATER CHANNELS And since it’s part of a broad swath DRY CREEK WATERSHED, NAPA COUNTY of protected land totaling 34 square miles, its conservation also illuminates the key role that upper watersheds can play in habitat connectivity. This SLOPE includes securing current wildlife corridors, and, years from now, providing refuge at various elevations for species impacted by climate change. % “Migration corridors follow streams,” says Brian Mendenhall, a project manager with the Santa Clara Valley Water District. “And species are going to migrate with climate change, moving closer to or farther from the Bay.” Granted, his agency is just as con- cerned with sediment flows and flood control, Mendenhall says, and properly managed upper-watershed lands have a role there, too. For example, by restoring and occasionally flooding former wet meadows in the southern Headwater channels (the steep, confined, generally ephemeral channels at the top of watersheds), portion of the massive Coyote Creek shown in purple, are the primary sources of runoff, nutrients, fine sediment, and large woody debris Watershed, which drains to the Bay to downstream reaches. Map courtesy Mike Napolitano, SFBRWQCB, (originally from Bill Dietrich, through San Jose, the water district can UC Berkeley).

Some cases reported memory loss and from their system. “If we can respond SPECIESSPOT even permanent neurological damage. quickly and flush quickly, their progno- Domoic acid targets the hippocampus, sis is quite good,” says Simeone. Toxic Summer which is the brain region tied to memory and can have similarly devastating To facilitate a rapid response, the for Sea Lions effects on sea lions. Center asks that members of the pub- The Marine Mammal Center in lic call their rescue hotline if they be- Sausalito is wrapping up a busy sum- Dr. Claire Simeone, a veterinarian lieve they have spotted a sick sea lion. mer after receiving an influx of adult with the Center, describes the condi- Giancarlo Rulli, a center spokesperson, California sea lions tion as “either acute says to “look for erratic behavior like diagnosed with domoic or chronic.” “Acute” head weaving” and to “maintain a 50- acid poisoning. refers to a strong dose foot distance from the animal.” During delivered quickly, a busy month like July, rescue volun- During algal blooms causing disorientation teers respond to as many as ten new along the coast of and seizures. A more reports a day. Northern California, an gradual build up of algae species called the toxin, or “chronic,” Dr. Simeone referred to sea lions as a “sentinel species,” meaning they act Pseudo-nitzschia australis results in unpredict- as an early warning system for local- sometimes propogates able, sometimes ag- ized ocean toxicity. They are the “ca- the neurotoxin called gressive behavior. “It nary in a coal mine,” if you will, for the domoic acid. As it ac- feels like a really bad California coast. While their population cumulates up the food headache,” she says. is not currently at risk, the number of chain, it can reach con- Affected sea lions cases in sea lions could rise as warm- centrations dangerous can lose the ability to ing oceans catalyze more frequent toxic for higher level predators. forage and mothers often unwittingly abandon still-nursing pups. blooms. For now, though, our canary is “Amnesiac shellfish poisoning,” as still singing. MHA the effect is known in humans, was At the Sausalito hospital, teams of Rescue Hotline 415-289-SEAL (7325) discovered in 1987 after a bout of food trained volunteers assist the veterinar- poisoning in Eastern Canada was ians as they provide the sick animals CONTACT anti-seizure medication, a domoic acid- linked to Prince Edward Island mussels Laura Sherr [email protected] with high concentrations of the toxin. free diet, and fluids to flush the toxin 7

PLACES This is the heart of the Delta, says Erik Vink, director of the Delta Protec- tion Commission. He wants to raise awareness of the Delta as a place rich The Delta from Within in California’s cultural history. A proposal before Congress could help: it Highway 160 runs along a levee, But there’s much more to the Delta, would designate the Delta as a National hugging the Sacramento River as it which was settled and reshaped begin- Heritage Area — lived-in landscapes curves through the Sacramento-San ning with the Gold Rush. The 33 miles that tell stories celebrating our country’s Joaquin River Delta. Heading north between Rio Vista and Sacramento feel diverse cultures. “The focus is not on the from Rio Vista, blue water sparkles like another world. The levee road is land but on humans’ role in shaping the on the left. On the right, vibrant green far above the land: drivers look down natural environment,” Vink says. fields, orchards and vineyards go on to the river, directly at crowns of huge forever. A few miles up the winding oak trees, and clear across the tops of Chinese laborers built the Delta’s road, shaggy valley oaks meet over- fruit trees. The sky is big and the land first levees in the late 1800s. Many head, a reminder of what was here stretches out in all directions, bounded came from China’s Pearl River Delta, before people tamed the water and only by a 360-degree horizon. where they had learned to turn wet- turned the Delta — where California’s lands into farmland. After building two largest rivers meet on their way to Isleton, the first town after Rio levees in the Sacramento-San Joa- the sea — into a patchwork of islands Vista, is three miles in. Population quin River Delta, some stayed to work and meandering sloughs. 804, elevation eight feet above sea the fertile soil, settling near Walnut level. Seven miles later comes the Grove in the town of Locke. “The Delta As an outsider, it’s easy to see the first of many drawbridges that link reminded them of home,” says Clar- Delta as a mess. News reports are the islands. Yellow and scarcely wide ence Chu, a founding member of the alarming: once a paradise of wildlife, enough for today’s cars, this one leads Locke Foundation, which is dedicated the Delta is now an ecological disaster to Ryde. Population 60, elevation one. to conserving the town’s heritage. of endangered fish and subsided land; Three more miles and a second bridge, “That is why they were so in love with the crumbling levees that protect the gray green this time, leads to Walnut this area.” Delta islands are an accident waiting to Grove. Population 725, elevation 23. happen; and, of course, the Delta is the And so on, all the way to the edge of The historic Chinese section of nexus of the fierce water wars between Sacramento. Locke is compact — 23 wooden build- the state’s wet north and dry south. continued on next page

The Delta town of Locke. Photo: Amber Manfree. Inset: Schoolchildren from early Locke. Photo courtesy Locke Foundation. 8 SEPTEMBER 2017 ESTUARY NEWS ings on one block — but it was ev- neat rows of children lined up for the bridge and a sandy beach along the erything to the people who once lived black-and-white photographs on the slough. Birdsong is all around and a here. Chu tells their story on a tour of wall. The school closed decades ago breeze eases the heat of the summer key buildings that have been restored because Locke no longer had enough day. Neuharth is the fifth generation as museums. Newcomers joined the Chinese youth. to work the farm, called Steamboat Chinese Association, now a museum, Acres, and his son is the sixth. He When Chu came to California in the where they received mail, read Chi- 1970s, he befriended the elderly Chi- hopes his recently-born grandson will nese newspapers, and socialized. “It nese people who still lived in Locke. be the seventh. “We are very blessed was like a big brother association,” he “There were 60 or 70 then and hardly to be here,” he says. says. “It helped them start a new life.” any are left now,” he says. “Locke is But Neuharth also says it’s get- Small as it is, Locke had three a living community and most of the ting hard for small family farmers gambling houses because this was a people are non-Chinese — it’s impor- to survive. Fifty-two of his 280 acres popular way to relax after a hard day’s tant to preserve its history.” are pears, one of the earliest crops work in the fields. But gambling was Six miles up Hwy. 160 from Locke, a in the Delta, and some of the trees not yet legal in California. One of the yellow drawbridge crosses Steamboat are nearly 125 years old with gnarled establishments is now the Dai Loy Mu- Slough. Designed by Joseph Strauss, black trunks and branches. Neuharth seum, and the windows were boarded chief engineer of the Golden Gate envisions doing for pears what Placer- for concealment, the main door was Bridge, it leads to land Tim Neu- ville’s Apple Hill does for apples. His reinforced against unexpected entry, harth’s family on his mother’s side eatery, Steamboat Landing, has views and extra doors were built for escape. has farmed since 1848. “They came of a historic pear orchard and the “A hidden lookout pressed a secret but- out from Tennessee for the Gold Rush, menu includes pear tarts. He shares ton to alert that the sheriff was near,” saw all the water samples of his pears — Bartlett, Stark Chu says. and the rich soil, Crimson, Golden Bosc, and all certi- Children learned and decided it fied organic — at regional markets. Cantonese at the was a good place And his brochures proclaim, “Start a Chinese School in to stay,” he says. movement…EAT a PEAR!” Pears are the afternoon, after rich in fiber, Neuharth winks, adding Neuharth sits their regular public that this motto is not universally ap- at a picnic table school got out. Neat preciated by the rest of his family. under the shade rows of dark wooden of a spreading He also gives farm tours in a desks line the one- oak tree, look- tractor-drawn wagon, rents out his room museum, and ing towards the beach and barn for events, and co-

Annual Pear Festival in Courtland. Photo courtesy Delta Protection Commission

Tim Neuharth gives a farm tour. Photo courtesy Delta Protection Commission

Map: Amber Manfree 9

WATERWORKS Reclamation District No . 999 The pump house is the first stop on Steve Heringer’s tour of Holland District, the Delta island his family has farmed for a century and a half. “In the 1850s, this was swamp with tules,” Heringer says. Drying out this 25,000-acre tract took a team of water system engineers — including Guy Fraser, who had previously worked on Isleton Bridge. Photo courtesy Jenny Oh Hatfield, Plattyjo Blog the Panama Canal — as well as $2.9 million, 33 miles of levees, 260 miles of ditches, and a pair of water pumps that founded the Delta Farm & Winery Trail the hot summer days and cool nights. stand as tall as a person. to get the word out about what he and The water table is so high that some other farmers here offer. “Hopefully it vines don’t even need irrigation. “If you Cast in 1915 in a San Francisco all adds up to the sustainability of us dug hole, at seven or eight feet you’d foundry, the pumps were initially staying here,” Neuharth says. be digging in water,” Heringer says. intended for the Dutch. But World War His family grows two dozen wine grape I brought fears that the ship carry- Ten miles upriver from Steamboat varieties on 185 acres, and his son Mike ing them would be sunk en route, so Acres is Steve Heringer’s land, in the began making their own wine after Heringer’s island bought the pumps northern tip of the Delta near Clarks- studying viticulture at California State instead. The pump house can drain burg. “My great-great-grandfather University, Fresno. 280,000 gallons per minute, with the emigrated from the Netherlands with original pumps providing three-fifths his wife and four kids in 1868, and Their winery, Heringer Estates, of the capacity; the rest is from four we’ve been farming here ever since,” operates one of the 13 tasting rooms smaller pumps that were installed he says. Like Neuharth, Heringer’s at the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg, later. sons and daughter work with him, and which originally processed the family’s grandsons give hope that the farm will sugar beet crop. Photos on the tasting “We’re completely surrounded by stay in the family. room walls tell the family story. In one, levees so when it rains, we have to Heringer’s parents stand by a crawler pump out the ditches so they don’t Also like Neuharth, Heringer loves tractor, which has tracks instead of flood fields and destroy crops,” says the land. “So much is unchanged here,” wheels and was invented for working Heringer, who sits on the board of he says. “Visitors say it’s like dropping the Delta’s soft soil. In another, five Reclamation District No. 999, which back 100 years.” He credits the many hands clasp each other. “That’s my manages the island’s water. “Last multigenerational families as well as dad, me, my son and two grandsons,” winter was so wet that the pumps ran state policies that have protected the Heringer says. more on than off for four months.” heart of the Delta from development. In the summer, the District siphons There’s no hint that Sacramento, where Protecting communities is a ma- water the other way, from sloughs half a million people sprawl over 100 jor goal of National Heritage Areas (NHAs) and if the bid to establish one into the ditches that run through the square miles, is just five miles up the fields. The Delta has so much water highway from where he lives and works. in the Delta is successful, it could help future generations of Heringers add that farmers there have plenty even Heringer’s office is the converted their hands to the photos in the tast- when the rest of the state is parched, garage of the house where he grew ing room. Administered by the National although Heringer says salt can be a up and where his 96-year-old mother Park Service, NHAs get park service “huge concern” during droughts. still lives. Minutes away is a spot that signage, with its instantly recognizable The last stop on Heringer’s tour is a has been a favorite since he was a arrowhead logo, and up to $10 million luxuriant vineyard his son put in. The child: a levee road lined on both sides in federal funds for development and district has not flooded since the early by oak trees, which touch each oth- promotion — without federal ownership 1900s. RM ers’ branches overhead. Elk Slough is of the land or dictates on its use. on the left and, as he drives, Heringer While the Park Service says the delights in the turtles that slide from just a matter of time.” The Delta would Delta meets the criteria for becom- logs into the peaceful water. Egrets and be the nation’s fiftieth NHA and Califor- ing an NHA, the path to designation is herons fish and fly by. “It’s a Garden of nia’s first. RM Eden here,” he says. slow: the Delta’s bid has stalled four times since first being introduced to CONTACT On the right, vineyards flourish. Congress in 2009. But the Delta Protec- Clarence Chu, [email protected]; Like many farmers near Clarksburg, tion Commission’s Erik Vink is confi- Steve Heringer, [email protected]; Heringer’s family has taken out sugar dent that it will get there. “These bills Tim Neuharth, Steamboatacresorganic@ beets and other old-fashioned crops tend to be below the radar so they don’t frontier.com; [email protected] and put in wine grapes, which thrive in move on their own,” he says. “But it’s 10 SEPTEMBER 2017 ESTUARY NEWS SUPPLY and multiple interties throughout the region, including one between the Marin Municipal Water District and EBMUD. Drought Contingency Other sustainable local sources of supply that BARR agencies are con- Motivated by the recent drought, “That drought knocked our socks sidering expanding include rainwater, local water agencies have formed an off; it set a new dynamic in play,” says stormwater, graywater (such as from unprecedented partnership aimed at re- Grant Davis, recently appointed director sinks, washers, and showers), black- ducing the impact of future dry spells. of the California Department of Water water (which includes the same ele- Resources—who, until July, was partici- “This is exciting because we have all ments as graywater, with the addition of pating in the BARR meetings in his role the agencies working together and this toilets), and foundation drainage. as the General Manager of the Sonoma type of project is not something we’ve County Water Agency. “We need to be Many of the plan’s measures call done before in the Bay Area,” says Alice looking at resiliency in the future.” for new facilities—which typically take Towey, an engineer with East Bay Mu- a while to get up and running. “There nicipal Utility District (EBMUD). Collectively, while the BARR agencies are many steps—and it’s a change from The Bay Area Regional Reliability expect they will be able to meet water what we’ve done traditionally,” Whitley (BARR) partnership, formed in 2013, demands in normal years, they predict says. “But the fact that the report was consists of eight of the region’s largest an increasing shortfall in multi-year put together and all eight agencies water districts. Together, they serve droughts. The Contingency Plan identi- signed off on it is an excellent sign.” over six million people Development of the in six counties ranging plan also included input from Marin east to Con- from 25 stakeholder tra Costa, and south to groups on a drought task the peninsula and Santa force coordinated by Clara valley. This sum- Brown and Caldwell’s mer, the partnership Cindy Paulson. finalized a draft Drought Contingency Plan funded “A very good aspect by a $200,000 grant from of this plan is that they the US Bureau of Recla- are trying to optimize the mation, which examines infrastructure they have both supply and demand and make better use of and provides a vulner- the [region’s existing] ability assessment. resources,” says Sonia “For the first time Los Vaqueros reservoir, a target for expanded capacity for contingencies. Diermayer, of the SF in the history of water Photo courtesy CCWD. Bay chapter of the Sierra delivery in the Bay Area, Club’s water committee, the water utilities are talking about fies a suite of measures to increase one of the stakeholders participating in how to assist each other when there reliability and resilience including devel- the process. oping mobile water treatment facilities, is a shortage,” says Bob Whitley, an Diermayer added that the Sierra engineer specializing in water infra- diversifying and expanding current water Club is not in favor of the regional structure and co-chair of the East Bay sources (such as desalinization, and po- desalinization plant, which is one of the Leadership Council’s water resources table and non-potable re-use); increas- drought mitigation measures included standing committee. ing storage capacity; building interties that would connect and enable agencies in the BARR plan. However, “We would Bay Area water comes from a to more easily transport water from one like to see water conserved and used wide array of sources and geographic to another; and creating a regional water more efficiently by humans so we can regions, including groundwater, local market program. leave as much as possible in the rivers, watersheds and reservoirs, the Sacra- the Bay and the delta to serve that very mento-San Joaquin Delta, the Russian “Each project has its own utility important ecosystem.” River, Lake Berryessa, and the Moke- individually but when you start to look at lumne River and Hetch Hetchy reservoir them all together, you start to see some The new plan represents a milestone in the Sierra. This means that not only really interesting ways that we will be in the Bay Area’s ever-evolving conser- does each agency respond to a situation better positioned in terms of future vation efforts, and also a model of the such as a drought differently, but they droughts as a region,” Towey says. kind of regional watershed manage- also might experience very different ef- ment Davis says his department will Potential projects that were identi- fects from other agencies in the region. continue to support. fied in the report include expansion “That can be confusing for custom- of the Los Vaqueros reservoir by the “Coordinated efforts are going to ers—they wonder, ‘Oh gee, why do I Contra Costa Water District, the Sili- provide a more durable water supply only have a 10% restriction on my water con Valley Advanced Water Purification and a far more resilient Bay Area com- while the guy across the street has a Center, and the Del Valle reservoir munity—as well as multiple benefits 30% restriction,” says Towey, who is storage system; as well as construc- like habitat restoration, floodplain also a project manager for the Drought tion of a regional desalinization plant, a management, recharge, and recycled Contingency Plan. Walnut Creek water pretreatment plant, water,” says Davis. JC 11

Bay Area Regional Water Infrastructure Untreated Water Facilities Conveyance Folsom Intake Lake Treated Water Conveyance Existing Intertie 80 Water Treatment Plant 50 Wastewater Treatment Plant

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San Luis Reservoir 12 SEPTEMBER 2017 ESTUARY NEWS ANALYSIS ing flow requirements for the Delta and its tributary rivers; and Delta-as- Place Policy 2, about respecting local land-use in siting water (and other) Indecision Point facilities. Any of these might provide Writer John Hart Reviews the Twists and Turns of Delta Plumbing Plans (rather tangential) grounds for a tunnel appeal. On June 22, the Delta Stewardship “Policies” bring authority with them. If not an enforcement stick, what do Council “endorsed” a draft document An action that seems to violate a Policy the Amendments add? titled “Delta Plan Amendments for can be brought to the Council on ap- They tell a good story, revisiting fa- Conveyance, Storage Systems, and the peal, and may be overturned. In 2013, miliar problems in the light of a likely Operation of Both.” “We applaud the the Council suggested that it might in- “new normal” of drought and flood, Council for addressing this difficult, deed, if BDCP collapsed, write a Policy and thumbing through a well-worn important and controversial question,” about conveyance. Strong words. portfolio of solutions. They carefully wrote Gerald Meral for the Natural and properly place Delta convey- Heritage Institute. “Delta urban and In April, 2015, BDCP was in fact ance in the larger context of state farming communities, and California’s abandoned in favor of two new, in- water plumbing and policy. Unlike the endangered fisheries, are being set up dependent programs: DeltaRestore, original Delta Plan, the Amendments to be the losers,” countered Barbara a reduced slate of habitat improve- explicitly endorse “dual conveyance” Barrigan-Parrilla of Restore the Delta. ments; and California WaterFix, in the Delta, without mentioning Wa- What’s the fuss about? Is this a sig- the tunnels. The situation for which terFix by name. They also underline nificant moment in the lengthy debate Appendix A was written had come to the need for new facilities outside the about replumbing the Delta to smooth pass. Wheels began to turn. Delta to ease water transfers; and the shipment (read “convey- they support the current push ance”) of water southward? Is it for added storage for wet- something more than that? Is it year flows, both in the form of something less? surface reservoirs and better- Fasten your seat belts, this is managed groundwater basins. a technical ride to an unclear These recommendations are destination. hedged about with cautionary language — boiling down, in When the Delta Stewardship the end, to “Be sure you do Council was created in 2009 your homework, think about legislation, it was given no say the whole system, and don’t over a pending plan to create make things worse.” They two new water tunnels. In those seem thorough, respectable, days the state was pushing and guaranteed not to rock a grand program combining anyone’s boat. the tunnels with major marsh restorations and other habitat One somewhat mixed review improvements. The package, comes from the Delta Indepen- designed to settle the Delta dent Science Board, another problem for half a century, was of the useful creations of the called the Bay-Delta Conserva- Delta Reform Act. While strik- Map: Amber Manfree tion Plan. As long as BDCP went ing a generally positive tone, forward, the Legislature speci- board members cautioned fied, it would automatically become a Tunnel skeptics and opponents against overly strong claims of scientific feature of the Council’s Delta Plan. pressed the Council to make a fresh grounding. Their conversations this summer circled around uncertainties. When the Delta Plan appeared in start and adopt a new Policy concerning conveyance. But on June 22, the We cannot really know the effect of 2013, accordingly, it merely urged the some of our bright ideas. state to get on with it — but added Council confirmed what had been evi- some “just in case” language in Ap- dent for quite some time: that it would The amendment process is not over. pendix A: “If events in subsequent not take up this challenge. It framed The package is now entering envi- years reveal that the BDCP will not its discussion of the tunnels (never ronmental review; a comment period be successful in a timely fashion, the mentioned by name) and related water comes next, followed by adoption, it is Council will consider then whether supply matters as a package purely hoped, next spring. When this occurs, to amend the Delta Plan to prescribe of Recommendations, with no Policy neither the fears or the hopes about this conveyance.” It added: “The Council piece at all. document seem likely to be borne out. has the authority to dictate . . . the Council staffer Keith Coolidge The Amendments for Conveyance, conveyance improvements it views as points out that the existing plan Storage Systems, and the Operation meeting the coequal goals.” contains Policies that apply to the of Both are the latest stage in a long, At this point let’s remember that the WaterFix decision. Among these are long conversation. Plan contains provisions of two sorts. Water Resources Policy 1, calling for They will not change the world. JH The numerous, well thought-out “Rec- reduced reliance on Delta water; Eco- ommendations” are merely that; the 14 system Restoration Policy 1, concern- 13 PROFILE Teacher Nurtures Young Scientists

Emily Koller’s fifth grade students Bahia Vista students and STRAW stewardship as well. A few have signed have collected water quality data along have been restoring the park for five up for WildCare’s Junior Conservation the Richardson Bay shoreline, built years. In total, 633 students and 56 Camp. Her curriculum involves stu- their own underwater explorer subma- parents and volunteers have contribut- dents in making scientific observations rines, and participated in Ocean Beach ed to planting close to 700 native plants in Pickleweed Park, doing active role cleanups. in an area of 8,554 square feet. Ap- playing to demonstrate how a piece proximately 150 cubic yards of invasive of trash moves down from Mt. Tam to Yet to Koller—who has been teach- plants have been removed. the Bay, and conducting citizen sci- ing conservation, citizen science, and ence by counting birds each winter environmental science at Bahia Vista for the Audubon Society. The Greater School in San Rafael for nine years— Farallones National Marine Sanctuary one of the most impactful lessons in gives a series of in-classroom lessons science and watershed education takes throughout the year. Each year, she place in the students’ own backyard, also creates a different theme inspired where they have helped to restore a by Watershed Week, Point Blue’s an- section of wetlands in Pickleweed Park nual teacher training. on San Rafael Bay. While themes from past years “The best place for our students to focused on developing curriculum learn about the environment is in their around scientific topics such as carbon own community,” Koller says. One sequestration and climate-smart good example, she says, is learning plants, this year’s “Sense of Place” how their own playground is part of the theme is a perfect platform for Koller Bay’s watershed, and that pollution or Photo: Kristine Wong to draw her students in to a new di- any piece of litter can make it down to mension of local watershed education. the Bay. “Emily cares so deeply about each “They will be mapping the park and The park, which is located just of her students,” says Gina Graziano, the surrounding community,” she says. around the corner from Bahia Vista, STRAW education coordinator. “She “I’m excited to start a new school year was filled with invasive plant species honors their ideas, and values them with a set of tools that foster a sense of before Point Blue Conservation Sci- as young scientists and contributing guardianship of their land.” KrW ence’s STRAW (Students and Teach- members of their community. Students ers Restoring A Watershed) program are prepared and eager to make a CONTACT difference restoring their local wet- started working with the school five Emily Koller, [email protected] years ago. land, because they’ve learned about its importance through Emily’s class.” With help from Point Blue staff — who receive guidance from Marin Student pride in Pickleweed Park Audubon on the native bushes that best goes beyond just the flora and fauna. support local birds — Koller’s students Koller recalls a time when her stu- and their parents pull out the plants dents noticed that an education board and replace them with native versions highlighting local species at the park that act as shoreline buffers to sea had been damaged. They contacted level rise. The plants also provide food, local officials and advocated that it be protection and habitat for birds such as fixed — and were successful. the San Pablo song sparrow and com- A Northern California native who mon yellowthroat. Ridgway’s rail (for- grew up enthralled with everything merly known as the clapper rail) and from the insects in her Vallejo back- the salt marsh harvest mouse, both yard all the way up to the panoramic endangered species, have been given a vistas at Santa Cruz’s Natural Bridges lift as well from the restoration. State Park, Koller understands the “Even though some of the parents important role that early exposure have more than one job, they make the plays in instilling a passion for caring time to come and help,” Koller says of for the natural world. the students’ families, many of whom “I’d help my dad plant trees, and my are low income and originally from parents took me on hiking trips,” she Guatemala and El Salvador. “Students says. “We’d be driving on the freeway who have gone on to middle school and my dad would pull over so we have come back to visit Pickleweed could take a walk up the hill.’” Park and been thrilled when they saw a bird hiding in the shrub that Koller’s students are immersing Students at Bahia Vista School planting native they planted.” themselves further in environmental species. Photo: Emily Koller 14 SEPTEMBER 2017 ESTUARY NEWS FISH Sturgeon Surgeons

Studies of contaminants in sport These seemingly disparate changes fish have unearthed some interesting combined to introduce harmful ele- things about white sturgeon: First that ments, like selenium, into the food selenium keeps turning up in speci- web. By the time the Regional Moni- mens from the North Bay, and second toring Program began monitoring con- that testing for the element may not taminants in sport fish, our hypotheti- have to be a necessarily fatal process. cal sturgeon could have been exposed for decades. As such, today’s living Sturgeon first appeared on Earth fish have become valuable not just for over 175 million years ago and their sport, but for the stories they tell. prehistoric appearance is a testament to their resiliency. Growing up to 20 “White sturgeon are a popular spe- feet long and living up to 100 years, cies people like to eat, so we want to these venerable giants have quietly keep a close eye on contaminants in patrolled the depths as the world their tissues,” says Jay Davis of the around them has reshaped itself time San Francisco Estuary Institute. While and time again. current levels seen in fish pose low risk for human consumption, they Imagine the white sturgeon as a may be high enough threaten to the living museum. A single sturgeon may Removing a muscle plug. reproductive success of the sturgeon very well have lived through the indus- Photo courtesy RMP themselves. trialization of Central Valley agriculture and the ensuing runoff that flowed Concentrations of selenium, which The crew has to measure, tag, down the Sacramento River into the occurs naturally in soil, occasionally and extract both a muscle plug and a Bay. It may have even seen the rise of exceed the regional regulatory target blood sample so that the fish can be oil refineries along the shorelines. (as described in the North Bay TMDL) returned to the water in an expedi- established to protect the health of ent fashion. “It’s a priority for us to In the mid 1980s this aging stur- sturgeon. Suisun Bay, located at the minimize the stress,” she says. She geon might also have witnessed the confluence of the Sacramento and adds that while it can be an analytical arrival of the overbite clam, which San Joaquin Rivers, is a particular challenge dealing with the new small soon displaced native species and hot-spot. The San Joaquin is a prime tissue samples, she is hopeful muscle drastically changed the estuary eco- channel for selenium-rich runoff from plug sampling is here to stay. system. White sturgeon, far from picky Central Valley agriculture. The pro- eaters, simply made the newcomer a Although the widespread impact of liferation of the overbite clam com- dietary mainstay. selenium on the sturgeon’s viability pounds the problem. Not only does the remains to be seen, it’s a good sign clam accumulate selenium at a much that individuals no longer need to be higher rate than native competitors, removed from the ecosystem to be but it has also become a primary food monitored. “Because these fish can source for sturgeon. have long life spans and take many While the plight of white sturgeon years to mature, they aren’t as re- in the North Bay isn’t a new discovery, placeable as other species,” says Sun. a new RMP sampling protocol comes “You can get people sampling these with the hope of less invasive methods fish that are in the same age range as of data collection. Rather than test- the fish they are collecting.” ing fish fillets from dead sturgeon, The white sturgeon, like most spe- researchers can pull small plugs of cies on Earth, faces an uncertain future tissue from living fish and get equally in a rapidly changing ecological land- reliable results. New selenium analy- scape. But Dr. Davis doesn’t try to hide sis methods developed by Robin Stew- his enthusiasm for protecting these art of the US Geological Survey have fish: “It’s just a cool species that we helped make this non-lethal sampling want to protect for its natural value.” approach viable for white sturgeon. It’s an easy sentiment to agree with. Adopting this new method is not After all, on a planetary scale this is a without challenges for the collec- species that has survived a devastat- tors on sampling vessels. According ing meteor impact and warming/cool- to Jennifer Sun, an environmental ing cycles that dwarf the current one. analyst with the San Francisco Estu- Perhaps there’s much more these ary Institute: “These are powerful fish aquatic giants can teach us. MHA Green sturgeon left; white sturgeon right. Both which aren’t so pleased to be caught.” occur in San Francisco Bay. CONTACT Photo courtesy RMP Jennifer Sun, [email protected] 15

MONITORING affect oxygen and algae levels in the Bay and local reservoirs. Levels of nutrients in our water – which come Beacon Not Burden from fertilizers, sewage, and runoff – can change on an hourly basis due to What some might call a regulatory In the 1990s, the regional regula- tides, turbidity, and photosynthesis. burden on industry, commerce, and tory boards asked the farmers and the “There’s no way to understand some- American greatness, others might call refineries to reduce their selenium thing like this unless you’re monitor- the road to success. inputs. “With added treatment, the ing at a frequency that is higher than load from refineries dropped over 70% changes are happening,” says the Jay Davis, a serious guy, doesn’t in just a few years, it’s a good story,” RMP’s manager Phil Trowbridge. crack a smile when he describes the says Peter Carroll. As the oil refin- Bay Area’s Regional Monitoring Pro- To address this need, the RMP ery’s technical lead on selenium for deployed eight new sensors around gram as “a beacon of environmental eight years, Carroll recalls working protection.” It may sound a little over the South Bay. They’re generating with various entities to do and redo gigabytes of data in need of storage, the top, for a PhD who ran the pro- technical studies that are now more analysis, and quality assurance, but gram for more than a decade, but all easily handled through the RMP. “We the RMP is stepping up to the task. you have to do is fact check. Ask some recently developed a way to integrate The Program recently created some of the oil refineries, power plants, and synthesize existing RMP data and powerful new computer models of cities, engineers, ports, scientists, North Bay selenium studies that’s how nutrients behave in the Estuary, and regulators who’ve participated in going to be very helpful in the long models it can now also use to make this 25-year old collaborative moni- term,” he says. toring program to confirm predictions about the mass balance of this result and they all say other kinds of contaminants. the same thing. It takes time Another priority has been monitor- but saves money. It helps ing what’s coming out of the mouths those being regulated deal of small tributaries, and here timing with water quality chal- is important as well. When it began lenges — whether it’s a spill, pouring rain last January, marking the toxic algae blooms, or a new end of California’s extended drought, perfume or pesticide — and scientists rushed to the RMP begging helps regulators drive water for a chance to get out in the storm quality improvements. and sample the effects. More water, “Whatever the pollutant sediment, and buried contaminants de jour, the RMP helps us were pouring off the hillsides, into the adapt,” says Karin North of Bay, and out the Golden Gate in a few the City of Palo Alto, Vice weeks than had in the last five years. Chair of RMP Steering Com- State vessel used in sturgeon sampling. “When we had that high flow event, mittee. “We’re not missing a Photo courtesy CDFW we were able to approve funding for thing working together; in- teams to go out and get measure- stead we’re getting a lot of our ments in the field by email,” says management questions answered.” In the 2000s, the RMP branched out Karin North. “Municipal agencies can’t “The data from the RMP are avail- from traditional contaminants, moving be that nimble. But because we pool able to everyone and are developed up into watersheds to look for sources, our resources, put proposals through and tackling emerging problems like by a very good scientific staff with no the RMP review committees, and have pesticides in urban runoff. In the last agenda,” says Peter Carroll of the a cohesive governing board, we can be five years, the RMP has moved into the Tesoro-Martinez oil refinery, who sits quick to respond. It’s a great system.” margins of the Bay, expanded its work on the RMP Steering Committee “Since on emerging contaminants beyond A third priority has been to keep up the RMP has been in existence, we’ve single compounds to whole classes of with the hundreds of new chemicals had great dialogue and reached a sound chemicals, and installed an array of and products, with their potentially consensus on most decisions. It’s a moored sensors that allow it to moni- harmful ingredients, introduced on the good constructive group to work with.” tor nutrients every 15 minutes, rather market every year. To stay current, and When the RMP started up 25 years than every 30 days as it had before. prevent replacement products that ago, it focused on monitoring contami- can be even more harmful than those “We all pay into the program, and nants in water, sediment, clams, and banned, the RMP’s Contaminants of we want the program to be addressing fish in the open Bay. These measure- Emerging Concern (CECs) program the most relevant issues. If those aren’t ments helped regulators make impor- now looks at classes of chemicals our individual issues we’re okay with tant water quality decisions, with sele- rather than one at a time. that,” says Bridgette DeShields of Inte- nium along with PCBs, DDT, and heavy gral Consulting Inc., Chair of the RMP Which brings us to another good sto- metals on their front burner early on. Technical Review Committee. “We want ry from the RMP archives. Within a few Selenium sources included upstream science to be informing priorities.” years of receiving the scientific evidence inputs from the Delta farm fields and that flame retardants were turning up in North Bay inputs from oil refinery dis- In the last five years, one priority both harbor seals and Bay Area wom- charges then cycled through the food has been getting a better handle on web by hyper-active invasive clams. growing inputs of nutrients, which continued to back page San Francisco Estuary Partnership 1515 Clay Street, Suite 1400 Oakland, CA 94612 PRESORTED STANDARD San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River U.S. POSTAGE Delta comprise one of 28 “estuaries of national significance” P A I D recognized in the federal Clean Water Act. The San Francisco Estu- Oakland, CA www.sfestuary.org ary Partnership, a National Estuary Permit No . 2508 Program, is partially funded by annual appropriations from Congress. The Partnership’s mandate is to protect, restore, and enhance water quality and habitat in the Estu- ary. To accomplish this, the Partnership brings together resource agencies, non-profits, citizens, and scientists committed to the long-term health and preservation of this invaluable public resource. Our staff manages or oversees more than 50 projects ranging from supporting research into key water quality concerns to managing initiatives that prevent pollution, restore wetlands, or protect against the changes anticipated from climate change in our region. We have published Estuary News since 1993. ESTUARY News September 2017, Vol. 26, No. 3 www.sfestuary.org/estuary-news/

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BEACON, cont’d from page 15 margins was more focused on hot spots concerning what kind of data are neces- near pollution sources. sary to collect, are quite content with de- en, the state had banned PBDEs, and cision-making through the RMP. “There “These last years we’ve had big goals reduced the flammability standard from are not many places in the world with a for big programs so we needed bigger open flame to smoldering cigarette. “It culture of collaboration that equals San makes a big difference to our wastewater money,” says Bridgette DeShields. “It’s Francisco Bay,” says Phil Trowbridge. quality if a product is 30% active ingredi- expensive to monitor chemicals from so ent or much less,” says North. The CEC many potential sources, to cover so many Collaborative programs in all kinds of program is now tracking spot-on flea tributaries and watersheds around the public environmental sectors were ear- controls, microplastic, pharmaceuticals, Bay, to work in the margins with small marked by the Trump administration early and personal care products passing right boats at high tide, while also maintain- on as good candidates for budget cuts. through treatment plants into the Bay. ing important smaller programs around This short-sightedness, along with equally “We rely on the RMP scientists to give us micro-plastics and selenium.” short-sighted cuts to long-term EPA and the data we need to do public education To cover some of these kinds of expan- USGS monitoring programs, promise to about pollution prevention, rather than sions, the Steering Committee reallocated challenge the RMP, which hitchhikes on having to get the data ourselves.” some money from old priorities to new lots of federal vessels and equipment. In the last five years, the RMP has also ones. “We asked the Regional Board if This year the RMP also recently lost greatly expanded its monitoring of what’s we could drop a bunch programs yielding one of its earliest investors: power happening in the Bay margins. Here ‘non-detects’ and redirect funding to CECs plants. Protections for fish from the hot contaminants coming downstream at- and they agreed,” says Karin North. water they discharge caused the phase tached to eroded sediment particles end Another windfall also helped make up out of once-through-cooling of all the up in mudflats and creek mouths where the difference. In 2016, the RMP became power plants in the state. The last one in small fish hang out. “What’s happening an approved program for use of pen- the Estuary, Pittsburg Power Plant, shut in the margins is very different from our alty fees from discharge violations. “We down in 2017. old bathtub model of the Bay where all thought we’d get $50K but we got $400K fish are exposed to all contaminants in “For the first time in 25 years, we in 2016,” says Trowbridge. “It’s helping the same way,” says Trowbridge. “Our had to adjust RMP distributions in all us to make progress on multiple fronts, new understanding is that certain fish get sectors because one sector left the and to accelerate the pace of monitoring a lot of their exposure to contaminants program,” says Trowbridge. “That we and research.” in the margins.” In 2015, eager to tease survived shows the stability of the part- out these differences, the RMP developed Twenty-five years in, industries nership.” ARO a study to measure the baseline con- and dischargers who might once have tamination in the margins to define “how quibbled over where to spend research clean is clean.” Past monitoring in the dollars, or resisted regulatory oversight