San Francisco Bay Nutrient Numeric Endpoint Development

San Francisco Bay Water Board staff has embarked on an effort working with the State Water Board, the Southern California Coastal Water Research Program (SCCWRP) and the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) to develop nutrient numeric endpoints (NNE) for the San Francisco Bay Estuary. This effort is part of a statewide iniative, supported by the U.S. EPA Region IX and the State Water Board, to address nutrient over-enrichment (eutrophication) in State waters, specifically to develop the NNE framework for streams and lakes and for California’s coastal estuaries.

The process for developing nitrogen and phosphorus nutrient criteria for California started in 1998 with the publication of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Strategy for the Development of Regional Nutrient Criteria (USEPA, 1998).

The goal of this project is to develop a set of NNEs that can used by the Water Boards in our water quality programs. A stakeholder advisory group (SAG) will help guide the development of the San Francisco Bay Estuary NNE. The effort will also rely on input from technical advisors.

NASA 3-D image of the San Francisco Bay Area

Nutrient Related Background Documents

U.S. EPA National Strategy for the Development of Regional Nutrient Criteria (1998)
Technical Approach for Developing Nutrient Numeric Endpoints in California ( July 2006)
Technical Approach for Developing Nutrient Numeric Endpoints California Estuaries (March 2007)
U.S. EPA Nutrient Control Design Manual (January 2009)
New and Improved U.S. EPA Website on Nitrogen and Phosphorus Pollution (July 2011)

Project Technical Reports

Numeric Nutrient Endpoint Development for SF Estuary: Literature Review and Data Gaps Analysis - June 2011 Final Report

Data Collection/Loading Studies

Public Involvement in the Project – Stakeholder Advisory Group

We have established a San Francisco Bay Stakeholder Advisory Group (SF Bay SAG) to guide the development of the NNE for the Estuary. The purpose of the SF Bay SAG is to advise the Water Board on the science and policy supporting NNE development and specifically to review background policy and technical information, provide stakeholder perspective and input on the NNE process and technical documents.The SAG also advises the Water Board on the selection of experts to be part of the Technical Team and the Scientific Advisory Panel.

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San Francisco Estuary Technical Team Committee

Technical Team members:

James Cloern, United States Geological Service – Menlo Park
Richard Dugdale, Romberg Tiburon Center – San Francisco State University
Raphael Kudela, University of California at Santa Cruz
Katharyn Bowyer, Romberg Tiburon Center – San Francisco State University

Initial Meeting December 2, 2010

Agenda SF Bay Tech Team Meeting
Key questions
SCCWRP Presentation

Meeting #2 February 11, 2011