South Bay Ocean Outfall Annual Receiving Waters Monitoring & Assessment Report 2015 City of San Diego Ocean Monitoring Program Environmental Monitoring & Technical Services Division South Bay Ocean Outfall Annual Receiving Waters Monitoring & Assessment Report, 2015 (Order No. R9-2013-0006; NPDES No. CA0109045) Prepared by: City of San Diego Ocean Monitoring Program Environmental Monitoring & Technical Services Division, Public Utilities Department Timothy D. Stebbins, Editor Ami K. Latker, Managing Editor June 2016 Table of Contents Production Credits and Acknowledgements ..........................................................................iii Table and Figure Listing ..........................................................................................................iv Acronyms and Abbreviations ...................................................................................................x Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................1 T. Stebbins, A. Latker Chapter 1. General Introduction ............................................................................................7 T. Stebbins, A. Latker Background .............................................................................................................................7 Receiving Waters Monitoring .................................................................................................7 Literature Cited .......................................................................................................................9 Chapter 2. Coastal Oceanographic Conditions ....................................................................13 W. Enright, G. Rodriguez, A. Latker, R. Gartman Introduction ..........................................................................................................................13 Materials and Methods .........................................................................................................14 Results and Discussion ..........................................................................................................15 Summary ...............................................................................................................................22 Literature Cited ....................................................................................................................22 Chapter 3. Water Quality Compliance & Plume Dispersion .............................................27 A. Brownlee, W. Enright, A. Latker, A. Feit Introduction ..........................................................................................................................27 Materials and Methods .........................................................................................................28 Results and Discussion .........................................................................................................31 Summary ..............................................................................................................................35 Literature Cited ....................................................................................................................37 Chapter 4. Sediment Conditions ............................................................................................47 A. Latker, R. Velarde, W. Enright Introduction ..........................................................................................................................47 Materials and Methods .........................................................................................................48 Results ..................................................................................................................................49 Discussion ............................................................................................................................58 Literature Cited ....................................................................................................................59 Chapter 5. Macrobenthic Communities ................................................................................63 W. Enright, A. Latker, R. Velarde, T. Stebbins, K. Byron Introduction ..........................................................................................................................63 Materials and Methods .........................................................................................................64 Results and Discussion .........................................................................................................65 Summary ..............................................................................................................................78 Literature Cited ....................................................................................................................79 i Table of Contents Chapter 6. Demersal Fishes and Megabenthic Invertebrates .............................................85 R. Gartman, A. Latker, K. Beauchamp, R. Velarde, A. Brownlee Introduction ..........................................................................................................................85 Materials and Methods .........................................................................................................86 Results and Discussion .........................................................................................................87 Summary ............................................................................................................................103 Literature Cited ..................................................................................................................103 Chapter 7. Bioaccumulation of Contaminants in Fish Tissues .........................................109 R. Gartman, A. Latker, G. Rodriguez Introduction ........................................................................................................................109 Materials and Methods .......................................................................................................109 Results ................................................................................................................................ 111 Discussion ..........................................................................................................................118 Literature Cited ..................................................................................................................120 Chapter 8. San Diego Regional Survey — Sediment Conditions .....................................125 A. Latker, R. Velarde, W. Enright Introduction ........................................................................................................................125 Materials and Methods .......................................................................................................125 Results and Discussion .......................................................................................................129 Summary ............................................................................................................................136 Literature Cited ..................................................................................................................139 Chapter 9. San Diego Regional Survey — Macrobenthic Communities .........................143 W. Enright, A. Latker, R. Velarde, T. Stebbins, K. Byron Introduction ........................................................................................................................143 Materials and Methods .......................................................................................................144 Results and Discussion .......................................................................................................145 Summary ............................................................................................................................156 Literature Cited ..................................................................................................................157 APPENDICES Appendix A: Supporting Data — Coastal Oceanographic Conditions Appendix B: Supporting Data — Water Quality Compliance and Plume Dispersion Appendix C: Supporting Data — Sediment Conditions Appendix D: Supporting Data — Macrobenthic Communities Appendix E: Supporting Data — Demersal Fishes and Megabenthic Invertebrates Appendix F: Supporting Data — Bioaccumulation of Contaminants in Fish Tissues Appendix G: Supporting Data — San Diego Regional Survey — Sediment Conditions Appendix H: Supporting Data — San Diego Regional Survey — Macrobenthic Communities ii Table of Contents PRODUCTION CREDITS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Senior Editor: T. Stebbins Managing Editor: A. Latker Associate Editors: M. Kasuya, M. Kelly, K. Langan, M. Lilly, V. Rodriguez-Villanova, V. Wright Production Editors: K. Barboza, K. Beauchamp, W. Enright, R. Gartman, M. Kasuya, A. Latker, M. Lilly, D. Olson, G. Rodriguez GIS Graphics: M. Kasuya, D. Olson Cover Photos: Collage highlighting examples of trawl-caught invertebrates found in the South Bay Ocean Outfall monitoring region (clockwise from top left): the sea slug Pleurobranchaea californica; the red crab Pleuroncodes planipes; the sea star Luidia armata; the crab Randallia ornata; the sea star Pisaster brevispinus. Photos are from the Bight’13 regional survey voucher collection and