| Water Body Name: | Mt. Diablo Creek |
| Water Body ID: | CAR2073104019990217163214 |
| Water Body Type: | River & Stream |
Lines of Evidence (LOEs) for Decision ID 17631 |
| LOE ID: | 28845 |
| Pollutant: | Arsenic | Chromium (total) | Copper | Lead | Nickel | Silver | Zinc |
| LOE Subgroup: | Pollutant-Water |
| Matrix: | Water |
| Fraction: | Dissolved |
| Beneficial Use: | Warm Freshwater Habitat |
| Number of Samples: | 4 |
| Number of Exceedances: | 0 |
| Data and Information Type: | PHYSICAL/CHEMICAL MONITORING |
| Data Used to Assess Water Quality: | The Mt Diablo Creek watershed was monitored as part of SWAMP assessment. None of the four samples exceeded the water quality objectives for arsenic, chromium VI, copper, lead, nickel, silver and zinc.
Concentrations of total dissolved chromium were well below the objective for chromium VI. |
| Data Reference: | Water Quality Monitoring and Bioassessment in Four San Francisco Bay Region Watersheds in 2003-2004: Kirker Creek, Mt. Diablo Creek, Petaluma River, and San Mateo Creek. Surface Water Monitoring Program, San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, Oakland. CA |
| Water Quality Objective/Criterion: | All waters shall be maintained free of toxic substances that are lethal to or that produce other detrimental responses in aquatic organisms.
Table 3-4 in the Basin Plan (2007) lists freshwater water quality objectives for toxic pollutants: arsenic- 150 ug/L, chromium VI- 11 ug/L, copper - 9.0 ug/L, lead - 2.5 ug/L; nickel - 52 ug/L, silver-3.4 ug/L and zinc - 120 ug/L. |
| Objective/Criterion Reference: | San Francisco Bay Basin (Region 2) Water Quality Control Plan (Basin Plan) |
| Evaluation Guideline: | |
| Guideline Reference: | |
| Spatial Representation: | Data were collected at two sampling locations on Mt Diablo Creek - MTD010 and MTD100. |
| Temporal Representation: | Samples were collected at both sites during spring and wet seasons of the 2003-2004 sampling season. |
| Environmental Conditions: | |
| QAPP Information: | All samples were collected and analyzed using procedures comparable with the SWAMP Quality Assurance Management Plan (SWRCB, 2002). |
| QAPP Information Reference(s): | Quality Assurance Management Plan for the State of California's Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program. Sacramento, CA. State Water Resources Control Board. SWAMP. December 2002 (1st version) |
Lines of Evidence (LOEs) for Decision ID 9433 |
| LOE ID: | 8649 |
| Pollutant: | Low Dissolved Oxygen |
| LOE Subgroup: | Pollutant-Water |
| Matrix: | Water |
| Fraction: | None |
| Beneficial Use: | Warm Freshwater Habitat |
| Aquatic Life Use: | Wildlife Habitat |
| Number of Samples: | 10 |
| Number of Exceedances: | 2 |
| Data and Information Type: | PHYSICAL/CHEMICAL MONITORING |
| Data Used to Assess Water Quality: | Data used to evaluate dissolved oxygen was collected by SWAMP in 2003. In 2 out of 10 seasonal deployments, minimum dissolved oxygen levels fell below the objective of 5 mg/L. One deployment with low oxygen levels was a Spring deployment at a mainstem station in the lower watershed, and the second was a tributary deployment in the dry season. |
| Data Reference: | Revised approach to toxicity test acceptability criteria using a statistical performance assessment. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, vol. 16, No. 6, pp 13221329 |
| Water Quality Monitoring and Bioassessment in Four San Francisco Bay Region Watersheds in 2003-2004: Kirker Creek, Mt. Diablo Creek, Petaluma River, and San Mateo Creek. Surface Water Monitoring Program, San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, Oakland. CA | |
| Water Quality Objective/Criterion: | The numeric water quality objective for dissolved oxygen is 5.0 mg/L minimum for waters designated as warm freshwater habitat. The median dissolved oxygen concentration for any three consecutive months shall not be less than 80 percent of the dissolved oxygen content at saturation. |
| Objective/Criterion Reference: | San Francisco Bay Basin (Region 2) Water Quality Control Plan (Basin Plan) |
| Evaluation Guideline: | |
| Guideline Reference: | |
| Spatial Representation: | Dissolved oxygen was measured at eight sites. Four of these sites were located on the mainstem of Mt. Diablo Creek, and the remainder were tributary creek measurements. |
| Temporal Representation: | The SWAMP Program performed continuous monitoring of dissolved oxygen at 15 minute intervals for periods of 1-2 weeks in each of three different seasons in 2003: winter, spring , and summer. |
| Environmental Conditions: | The Mt. Diablo Creek watershed is heavily urbanized throughout most of the lower and middle watershed. Flow in the Mt. Diablo Creek watershed is mostly intermittent with dry creeks in the summer. Some creeks are fed by runoff from residential and golf course watering, and pools remain through the summer in upstream portions of tributary, Mitchell Creek. |
| QAPP Information: | All samples were collected and analyzed using procedures comparable with the SWAMP Quality Assurance Management Plan (SWRCB 2002). |
| QAPP Information Reference(s): | |
Lines of Evidence (LOEs) for Decision ID 9811 |
| LOE ID: | 8542 |
| Pollutant: | Sediment Toxicity |
| LOE Subgroup: | Pollutant-Sediment |
| Matrix: | Sediment |
| Fraction: | None |
| Beneficial Use: | Cold Freshwater Habitat |
| Number of Samples: | 1 |
| Number of Exceedances: | 1 |
| Data and Information Type: | TOXICITY TESTING |
| Data Used to Assess Water Quality: | Data used to evaluate sediment toxicity comprise one sediment sample collected by the SWAMP in April 2003. The sample displayed statistically significant toxicity during the 10-day Hyalella azteca test. It caused mortality (70.7%) and exhibited diminished growth at 56.6% of control. |
| Data Reference: | Water Quality Monitoring and Bioassessment in Four San Francisco Bay Region Watersheds in 2003-2004: Kirker Creek, Mt. Diablo Creek, Petaluma River, and San Mateo Creek. Surface Water Monitoring Program, San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, Oakland. CA |
| Water Quality Objective/Criterion: | All waters shall be maintained free of toxic substances that are lethal to or that produce other detrimental responses in aquatic organisms.
There shall be no chronic toxicity in ambient waters. Chronic toxicity is a detrimental biological effect on growth rate, reproduction, fertilization success, larval development, population abundance, community composition, or any other relevant measure of the health of an organism, population, or community. |
| Objective/Criterion Reference: | San Francisco Bay Basin (Region 2) Water Quality Control Plan (Basin Plan) |
| Evaluation Guideline: | Sediment toxicity was evaluated according to the SWAMP methodology. Sample toxicity was determined by comparing mean organism response in samples and in negative controls. Statistical evaluation (alpha = 0.05) and a default threshold of 80% of the control value were used to establish whether the sediment exhibited significant toxicity adversely impacting aquatic organisms. |
| Guideline Reference: | Revised approach to toxicity test acceptability criteria using a statistical performance assessment. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, vol. 16, No. 6, pp 13221329 |
| Spatial Representation: | One sediment sample was collected at a watershed integrator site located close to the mouth of Mt. Diablo Creek. |
| Temporal Representation: | Sample was collected during the spring season of 2003. |
| Environmental Conditions: | The lower reach data are representative of heavily urbanized area dominated by the city of Concord. |
| QAPP Information: | All samples were collected and analyzed using procedures comparable with the SWAMP Quality Assurance Management Plan (SWRCB 2002). |
| QAPP Information Reference(s): | |
Lines of Evidence (LOEs) for Decision ID 17630 |
| LOE ID: | 29014 |
| Pollutant: | Temperature, water |
| LOE Subgroup: | Pollutant-Water |
| Matrix: | Water |
| Fraction: | None |
| Beneficial Use: | Cold Freshwater Habitat |
| Number of Samples: | 10 |
| Number of Exceedances: | 3 |
| Data and Information Type: | PHYSICAL/CHEMICAL MONITORING |
| Data Used to Assess Water Quality: | Water quality assessment was conducted at the Mt. Diablo Creek watershed as part of SWAMP study in 2003-2004. Continuous field monitoring at 15 minute increments of temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH and specific conductance was conducted to determine temporal variability in basic water quality at three locations. Continuous monitoring sondes were deployed 10 times at monitoring locations during wet, spring and one dry seasons. The measured temperatures ranged from 9.4°C to 25.40°C and varied with season. During the summer season deployments at all three monitoring locations, the 7-day mean temperature threshold for steelhead was exceeded. In total, the 17 °C criterion was exceeded in 3 out of 10 deployments for steelhead. |
| Data Reference: | Water Quality Monitoring and Bioassessment in Four San Francisco Bay Region Watersheds in 2003-2004: Kirker Creek, Mt. Diablo Creek, Petaluma River, and San Mateo Creek. Surface Water Monitoring Program, San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, Oakland. CA |
| Water Quality Objective/Criterion: | Temperature objectives for enclosed bays and estuaries are specified in the "Water Quality Control Plan for Control of Temperature in the Coastal and Interstate Waters and Enclosed Bays of California" including any revisions to the plan. In addition, the following temperature objectives apply to surface waters: The natural receiving water temperature of intrastate waters shall not be altered unless it can be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Regional Board that such an alteration does not adversely affect beneficial uses. The temperature of any cold or warm freshwater habitat shall not be increased by more than 5°F (2.8°C) above natural receiving water temperature. |
| Objective/Criterion Reference: | San Francisco Bay Basin (Region 2) Water Quality Control Plan (Basin Plan) |
| Evaluation Guideline: | Sullivan et al. (2000) reviewed a wide range of studies incorporating information from laboratory-based research, field observations, and risk assessment approaches and developed criteria for assessing temperature risk to aquatic life. The 7-day mean temperature (maximum value of a 7-day moving average of the daily mean temperature) of 14.8°C was established as the upper threshold criterion for coho salmon and 17.0°C for steelhead trout. The risk assessment approach used by Sullivan et al. (2000) suggests that temperatures exceeding the above thresholds will cause a 10% reduction in average growth compared to optimal conditions. |
| Guideline Reference: | An Analysis of the Effects of Temperature on Salmonids of the Pacific Northwest with Implications for Selecting Temperature Criteria |
| Spatial Representation: | Continuous field monitoring at 15 minute increments of temperature were collected at three sites located in the Mt. Diablo Creek watershed. |
| Temporal Representation: | At all locations the SWAMP performed continuous monitoring of temperature at 15 minute intervals lasting 1-2 weeks during spring (March 2003), one dry season (July 2003), and winter wet season (February 2004). |
| Environmental Conditions: | |
| QAPP Information: | All samples were collected and analyzed using procedures comparable with the SWAMP Quality Assurance Management Plan (SWRCB 2002). |
| QAPP Information Reference(s): | |
Lines of Evidence (LOEs) for Decision ID 17632 |
| LOE ID: | 29009 |
| Pollutant: | pH |
| LOE Subgroup: | Subgroup Missing |
| Matrix: | Water |
| Fraction: | None |
| Beneficial Use: | Cold Freshwater Habitat |
| Number of Samples: | 10 |
| Number of Exceedances: | 1 |
| Data and Information Type: | PHYSICAL/CHEMICAL MONITORING |
| Data Used to Assess Water Quality: | Comprehensive water quality assessment was conducted at Mt Diablo Creek watershed as part of SWAMP assessment in 2003 and 2004. Continuous field monitoring of temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and specific conductance to determine temporal variability in basic water quality at three or four locations, throughout Mt Diablo Creek, ranging from 1-15 days. The pH ranged from 6.87 to 8.62 and varied with season. There was only one exceedence of the upper pH threshold. |
| Data Reference: | Water Quality Monitoring and Bioassessment in Four San Francisco Bay Region Watersheds in 2003-2004: Kirker Creek, Mt. Diablo Creek, Petaluma River, and San Mateo Creek. Surface Water Monitoring Program, San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, Oakland. CA |
| Water Quality Objective/Criterion: | The pH shall not be depressed below 6.5 nor raised above 8.5. This encompasses the pH range usually found in waters within the basin. Controllable water quality factors shall not cause changes greater than 0.5 units in normal ambient pH levels. |
| Objective/Criterion Reference: | San Francisco Bay Basin (Region 2) Water Quality Control Plan (Basin Plan) |
| Evaluation Guideline: | |
| Guideline Reference: | |
| Spatial Representation: | pH was measured at three or four sites located in the Mt Diablo Creek watershed. |
| Temporal Representation: | At all locations the SWAMP performed continuous monitoring of pH at 15 minute intervals lasting 1-15 days during spring (March 2003), summer dry season (July 2003), and winter wet season (February 2004). |
| Environmental Conditions: | |
| QAPP Information: | All samples were collected and analyzed using procedures comparable with the SWAMP Quality Assurance Management Plan (SWRCB 2002).. |
| QAPP Information Reference(s): | Quality Assurance Management Plan for the State of California's Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program. Sacramento, CA. State Water Resources Control Board. SWAMP. December 2002 (1st version) |
Lines of Evidence (LOEs) for Decision ID 9807 |
| LOE ID: | 8541 |
| Pollutant: | Toxicity |
| LOE Subgroup: | Pollutant-Water |
| Matrix: | Water |
| Fraction: | None |
| Beneficial Use: | Cold Freshwater Habitat |
| Number of Samples: | 4 |
| Number of Exceedances: | 2 |
| Data and Information Type: | TOXICITY TESTING |
| Data Used to Assess Water Quality: | Four samples were collected in 2003 to evaluate water toxicity at two monitoring locations at the mouth of Mount Diablo Creek and at Mitchell Canyon, the upstream tributary. The toxicity tests included survival and reproduction of Ceriodaphnia, survival and growth of fathead minnow, and growth of Selenastrum.
Statistically significant chronic effects on Ceriodaphnia reproduction were observed in 2 out of 4 samples collected at both locations during winter wet season. In addition, one sample caused significant mortality and another caused a decrease in growth in fathead minnow. Selenastrum growth was also significantly reduced in one sample collected during winter wet season. |
| Data Reference: | Water Quality Monitoring and Bioassessment in Four San Francisco Bay Region Watersheds in 2003-2004: Kirker Creek, Mt. Diablo Creek, Petaluma River, and San Mateo Creek. Surface Water Monitoring Program, San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, Oakland. CA |
| Water Quality Objective/Criterion: | All waters shall be maintained free of toxic substances that are lethal to or that produce other detrimental responses in aquatic organisms.
There shall be no chronic toxicity in ambient waters. Chronic toxicity is a detrimental biological effect on growth rate, reproduction, fertilization success, larval development, population abundance, community composition, or any other relevant measure of the health of an organism, population, or community. |
| Objective/Criterion Reference: | San Francisco Bay Basin (Region 2) Water Quality Control Plan (Basin Plan) |
| Evaluation Guideline: | Water toxicity was evaluated according to the SWAMP methodology. The U.S.EPA whole effluent toxicity protocol (U.S.EPA 1994) was used to test the effect of water samples on three freshwater test organisms. Statistical evaluation (alpha = 0.05) and a default threshold of 80% of the control value were used to establish whether water exhibited significant toxicity adversely impacting aquatic organisms. |
| Guideline Reference: | Revised approach to toxicity test acceptability criteria using a statistical performance assessment. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, vol. 16, No. 6, pp 13221329 |
| Short-Term Methods for Estimating the Chronic Toxicity of Effluents and Receiving Waters to Freshwater Organisms. EPA/600/4-91/002. Third Edition. July 1994 | |
| Spatial Representation: | Data were collected at one sampling location, MTD010, on two (2) occasions, representative of the lower reach of the creek. Data were collected at one sampling location, MTD100, on two occasions, representative of the upstream tributary. |
| Temporal Representation: | SWAMP samples were collected during winter wet season (January) and spring season (April) of 2003. |
| Environmental Conditions: | The lower reach data are representative of heavily urbanized area dominated by the city of Concord. The tributary stream of Mitchell Canyon drains in its upper portion the area within the Mt. Diablo State Park. |
| QAPP Information: | All samples were collected and analyzed using procedures comparable with the SWAMP Quality Assurance Management Plan (SWRCB, 2002). |
| QAPP Information Reference(s): | Quality Assurance Management Plan for the State of California's Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program. Sacramento, CA. State Water Resources Control Board. SWAMP. December 2002 (1st version) |
Lines of Evidence (LOEs) for Decision ID 6878 |
| LOE ID: | 1832 |
| Pollutant: | Diazinon |
| LOE Subgroup: | Pollutant-Water |
| Matrix: | Water |
| Fraction: | None |
| Beneficial Use: | Cold Freshwater Habitat |
| Number of Samples: | 0 |
| Number of Exceedances: | 0 |
| Data and Information Type: | Not Specified |
| Data Used to Assess Water Quality: | Unspecified---This LOE is a placeholder to support a 303(d) listing decision made prior to 2006. |
| Data Reference: | Placeholder reference 2006 303(d) |
| Water Quality Objective/Criterion: | |
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| Evaluation Guideline: | |
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| Spatial Representation: | |
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| QAPP Information: | QA Info Missing |
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