Development of Sediment Quality Objectives for California Bays and Estuaries

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Development of Sediment Quality Objectives for
California Bays and Estuaries

• Project Update-April 2004

Steven Bay Southern California Coastal Water
Research Project (SCCWRP) steveb_at_sccwrp.org
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Project Activities
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Scientific Steering Committee

• Working to complete additions to SSC based on
  input from advisory committee and others
• Bioaccumulation risk assessment
• Uncertainty analysis
• Documentation of selection process
• Update of SSC and scheduling of first meeting are
  the next steps

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Direct Effects

• Sediment quality database development
• Chemical effects analysis
• Toxicity method comparison
• Benthic community assessment tool development
• Integration of triad into objectives

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Database

• Distributed study inventory for comment
• Incorporating additional data for San Francisco
  Bay
• Assessments for Hunters Point, Richmond Harbor,
  other sites
• Dredge material characterization studies
• Approximately 40 studies received and in process
  of data entry and conversion to database format
• Database QA activities in progress
• Format
• Data entry

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Benthic Community Assessment Tool Development

• Refine Benthic Response Index (BRI)
• Improve effects gradient data for Southern
  California
• Additional index validation
• Investigate applications for San Francisco Bay
• Investigate alternative assessment tools for
  other regions of State
• San Francisco Bay approach
• RIVPACS
• Compare/standardize sampling methods
• Sampling gear and sieve size

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Benthic Community Assessment Tool Development

• Refine Benthic Response Index
• Analysis of Bight03 benthos samples underway
• Index development dataset will be assembled
• Bight98, Western EMAP, Huntington
  Harbor/Anaheim Bay assessment, San Diego Bay
  assessment and cleanup studies
• First phase of study of BRI application for San
  Francisco Bay nearly complete

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Benthic Community Assessment Tool Development

• Investigate alternative tools
• Joint effort with SFEI to examine SF Bay approach
• First phase of comparison with BRI nearly
  complete
• Joint effort with TetraTech to examine RIVPACS
  approach
• Project still under development
• Evaluation of community zonation along Pacific
  Coast
• Collaborative effort with Western EMAP
• Insufficient data to develop a benthic community
  assessment tool for Northern California areas
  outside of San Francisco Bay

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Benthic Community Assessment Tool Development

• Comparison of sampling methods
• Comparison of sieve sizes underway
• Over 100 samples from multiple habitats
• Planning for sampling gear comparison
• Compare grab types and cores
• Sampling planned for summer 2004

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Toxicity Method Comparison

• Evaluation of candidate chronic sediment toxicity
  test methods
• 15 stations from So. Calif. and S.F. Bay
• Comparison of 6 methods conducted in first phase
  of study
• Results under review by study participants
• Subset of methods for additional study will be
  made following data review and input from SSC

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Indirect Effects

• Evaluation of models for sediment-fish transfer
• Identify most useful approaches
• Understand data needs and uncertainty
• Case studies to link sediment contamination to
  human health risk and predator risk
• Site-specific data for selected contaminants and
  receptors
• Identify methods and data needs for application
  in other areas
• Contract with SFEI under development
• Work should begin in May
• Detailed work plan will be developed and reviewed
  by SSC

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Method Manuals

• Field sampling
• Benthic sampling method comparisons
• Chemical contamination
• Toxicity
• Chronic test comparison
• Bioaccumulation potential
• Benthic community impact
• Assessment tool development
• Information management
• Preparation of manuals will begin in 2005

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Assessment

• Sediment Quality Summary
• Describe extent and magnitude of impacts in bays
  and estuaries
• Assessment based on draft objectives Toxicity
• Requires representative data
• EMAP, NOAA, Bight surveys
• Preparation of summary will begin in 2005