Final California 2010 Integrated Report (303(d) List/305(b) Report)

Supporting Information

Regional Board 9 - San Diego Region

Water Body Name: Doane Creek
Water Body ID: CAR9032200020081222141738
Water Body Type: River & Stream
 
DECISION ID
16409
Region 9     
Doane Creek
 
Pollutant: Benthic Community Effects
Final Listing Decision: Do Not List on 303(d) list (TMDL required list)
Last Listing Cycle's Final Listing Decision: New Decision
Revision Status Revised
Impairment from Pollutant or Pollution: Pollutant
 
Regional Board Conclusion: Benthic Community Effects is being considered for placement on the section 303(d) list under sections 3.9 and 3.2 of the Listing Policy. Under section 3.9, an additional line of evidence associating the Benthic Community Effects with a water or sediment concentration of pollutants is necessary to assess listing status.

One line of evidence is available in the administrative record to assess this indicator. 0 of 7 samples exceeded the water quality objective.

Based on the readily available data and information, the weight of evidence indicates that there is sufficient justification against placing Benthic Community Effects in this water segment on the section 303(d) list in the Water Quality Limited Segments category. This conclusion is based on the staff findings that:
1. The data used satisfies the data quality requirements of section 6.1.4 of the Policy.
2. The data used satisfies the data quantity requirements of section 6.1.5 of the Policy.
3. 0 of 7 samples exceeded the Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) value of "poor" water quality for this area and this does not exceed the allowable frequency listed in Table 3.2 of the Listing Policy.
4. Pursuant to section 3.11 of the Listing Policy, no additional data and information are available indicating that standards are not met.
 
Regional Board Decision Recommendation: After review of the available data and information, RWQCB staff concludes that the water body-pollutant combination should not be placed on the section 303(d) list because applicable water quality standards are not being exceeded.
 
State Board Review of Regional Board Conclusion and Recommendation:
 
State Board Decision Recommendation: After review of this Regional Board decision, SWRCB staff recommend the decision be approved by the State Board.
 
USEPA Action (if applicable):
 
 
Line of Evidence (LOE) for Decision ID 16409, Benthic Community Effects
Region 9     
Doane Creek
 
LOE ID: 26830
 
Pollutant: Benthic Community Effects
LOE Subgroup: Adverse Biological Responses
Matrix: Water
Fraction: None
 
Beneficial Use: Warm Freshwater Habitat
 
Number of Samples: 7
Number of Exceedances: 0
 
Data and Information Type: Benthic macroinvertebrate surveys
Data Used to Assess Water Quality: Seven samples of IBI data were taken from May 2004 to May 2007 at one sampling site. Of the total number of samples, none of the samples exceeded the IBI impairment threshold.
Data Reference: Stream Bioassessment Data. Co-permitee Data. Collected 2002-2007
 
SWAMP Data: Non-SWAMP
 
Water Quality Objective/Criterion: From the San Diego Basin Plan the objective is: All waters shall be maintained free of toxic substances in concentrations that are toxic to, or that produce detrimental physiological responses in human, plant, animal, or aquatic life. Compliance with this objective will be determined by use of indicator organisms, analyses of species diversity, population density, growth anomalies, bioassays of appropriate duration, or other appropriate methods as specified by the Regional Board.
Objective/Criterion Reference: Water Quality Control Plan for the San Diego Basin
 
Evaluation Guideline: The Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) is an analytical tool that can be used to assess the biological and physical condition of streams and rivers within a zero to one hundred scoring range: Very Poor 0-19, Poor 20-39, Fair 40-59, Good 60- 79, Very Good 80-100. The IBI score of 39 was set as an impairment threshold because it is a statistical criterion of two standard deviations below the mean reference site score which defines the boundary between 'fair' and 'poor' IBI creek conditions. (Ode, p. 9)
Guideline Reference: A Quantitative Tool for Assessing the Integrity of Southern Coastal California Streams. Environmental Management. Volume 35, number 1 (2005): pp. 1-13
 
Spatial Representation: Samples were collected at one site: REF-DC on Doane Creek.
Temporal Representation: Sampling occurred during May and October annually over a three year period from May 2004 to October 2006 and during May in 2007.
Environmental Conditions:
QAPP Information: Quality Control for collection and identification was conducted in accordance with the Quality Assurance Manual for Freshwater Bioassessment.
QAPP Information Reference(s): Quality Assurance Manual for Freshwater Bioassessment Revision 0