Non-drinking water data for CECs in groundwater, specifically for PFAS, is available to view and download using the Water Board’s GeoTracker PFAS Mapping Tool.  Additional information is provided on the Water Board’s PFAS website for Drinking Water Resources.

Surface water data for CECs is available on the State Water Board’s California Environmental Data Exchange Network (CEDEN). CEDEN hosts surface water data collected from California’s water bodies, including streams, lakes, rivers, and the coastal ocean. This data comes from groups in California that monitor water quality, aquatic habitat, and wildlife health. CEDEN aggregates this data and makes it accessible to environmental managers and the public.

The State Water Board and Ocean Protection Council funded a grant to reconvene the Constituents of Emerging Concern (CEC) Science Advisory Panel for Aquatic Ecosystems (Panel) to assess the current state of scientific knowledge on the risks of CECs impacting human health and the environment in freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems of the state and update their 2012 recommendations. Division of Water Quality staff in collaboration with the regional water boards and Aquatic Science Center compiled a statewide geospatial CEC dataset with over 450,000 records. The Panel conducted a critical review of the CEC dataset and worked with Division of Water Quality staff to make refinements to improve the quality, utility, and representativeness of the data. The Panel compiled, reviewed, and interpreted data to inform an updated risk screening approach and an initial prioritization of CEC compounds of interest. The Panel’s updated recommendations were published in a final report in April 2023, titled, “Monitoring Strategies for Constituents of Emerging Concern (CECs) in California’s Aquatic Ecosystems, Recommendations of a Science Advisory Panel”.

The CEC Aquatic Ecosystems Panel provided a final report-out to the public with their recommendations via a Zoom webinar hosted by Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP). The webinar was held on December 12, 2022 from 8:00 to 10:30 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada). The webinar was free and open to the public. A recording of the webinar can be viewed on the SCCWRP website.

The State Water Resources Control Board and San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board contracted with the Aquatic Science Center (ASC) to implement a project to synthesize and evaluate statewide Constituents of Emerging Concern (CECs) ambient aquatic ecosystem occurrence data for the state from public databases with California monitoring data (i.e., CEDEN, Water Quality Portal, SDWIS, CIWQS, Geotracker). Through this project, scientists at ASC supported the CEC Program by synthesizing available CECs data for multiple classes of contaminants in California, and provided a preliminary screening of observed occurrences via a tiered risk-based framework. The report was finalized in March 2022 and is titled, CECs in California's Ambient Aquatic Ecosystems: Occurrence and Risk Screening of Key Classes. A copy of the report appendices is available.

In April 2012, a scientific advisory panel named the “Ecosystems Panel (Panel)” provided recommendations for the monitoring of CECs in aquatic ecosystems. The recommendations are presented in a report titled, “Monitoring Strategies for Chemicals of Emerging Concern (CECs) in California’s Aquatic Ecosystems.” In the report, the Panel recommended using a risk-based screening framework to identify an initial list of CECs to monitor. The Panel also recommended implementing an adaptive phase monitoring approach to assess the presence of the CECs and their potential risk to the environment. The Panel was funded by the State Water Resources Control Board and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Water Board Staff has prepared a report that presents the Panel’s recommendations.

Relevant Information

• Workshop on Constituents of Emerging Concern (CECs) and Aquatic Ecosystem Monitoring – the state of knowledge and practice in CA (May 1 and 2, 2017)
  • The State Water Board and Regional Water Quality Control Boards (Water Boards) have independently worked on projects to monitor and identify the CECs of highest risk to human health and the environment. oordinating the efforts will more efficiently and effectively utilize State and local resources and work towards the overarching goal of developing a statewide strategy to address CECs. The May 1 workshop shared the current state of knowledge on CECs and study efforts underway in the Bay-Delta, Los Angeles, and other areas of California. The May 2 workshop presented the most recent information regarding how to monitor and study CECs in California and the proposed monitoring designs and strategies presented by stakeholders in Region 5.
    • May 1 Slides, Video of Presentations
    • May 2 Slides
• Constituents of Emerging Concern (CECs) Presented at the State Water Resources Control Board Workshop by Regional and Statewide Programs. (February 22, 2017)
• Constituents of Emerging Concern (CEC) Pilot Study Monitoring Plan
• Monitoring of Constituents of Emerging Concern (CECs) in Aquatic Ecosystesm - Pilot Study Guidance
• Monitoring of Constituents of Emerging Concern (CECs) in Aquatic Ecosystems - QA/QC Guidance
• CEC Stakeholder (05/09/2014) and Technical Advisory (05/02/2014) Mid-term Meeting Minutes and Presentations'
• CECs Stakeholders and Technical Advisory Kick-off Meeting Presentations - 9/12/2013
• Aquatic Ecosystems Staff Report
• Monitoring Strategies for Chemicals of Emerging Concern (CECs) in California Ecosystems - Recommendations of a Scientific Advisory Panel Report