Bacterial Water Quality Standards
There have been no sustained exceedances of bacterial water quality objectives in the waters surrounding municipal wastewater discharges, indicating effective management in these areas. The 2019 CCLEAN Annual Report includes a comprehensive review of bacteria data collected by the Program and comparisons to water quality standards.
Pesticide Contamination in Mussels
Concentrations of the pesticide Dieldrin in mussels along the northern shore of Monterey Bay have exceeded human health alert levels, posing a potential risk to both wildlife and humans. Pesticide concentrations in mussels have generally declined over time, although large increases occur following extreme rainfall events, providing a direct link between storm runoff, river discharges […]
Exceedances of Water Quality Objectives
Ocean water in Monterey Bay has exceeded water quality objectives for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDTs, Chlordanes, Dieldrin, and Toxaphene. Notably, PCBs have exceeded objectives in at least one sample every year since 2001, highlighting a persistent issue in the bay’s water quality. The 2022 CCLEAN annual report documents the current status of exceedances in the […]
Rivers as Major Pollutant Sources
Rivers have been found to discharge much higher loads of most pollutants to the ocean compared to wastewater discharges, indicating the need for targeted management efforts in these areas. The 2022 CCLEAN annual report highlights pollutant trends and loads in Pajaro River that indicate DDTs have not declined over time, but exhibit an exponential relationship with annual rainfall, with regular exceedances of water […]
Evaluation of Endocrine Disruption in Fathead Minnows by Wastewater Effluent from CCLEAN Participants (2009 – 2010 Annual Report)
CCLEAN commissioned the University of California Davis Marine Pollution Studies Laboratory at Granite Canyon to perform bioassays using fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) to test for endocrine disruption activity in each participant’s wastewater effluent at estimated effluent dilutions provided by each respective outfall diffuser. Observation endpoints included fecundity and fertilization success, behavior and appearance, nuptial turbcle […]
Persistent Organic Pollutant Concentrations in Southern Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) : Patterns with Respect to Environmental Risk Factors and Major Causes of Mortality
In cooperation with California Department of Fish and Wildlife, CCLEAN was awarded a grant from the California State Water Board to perform a comprehensive study of persistent organic pollutants if archived tissues from 227 freshly dead wild southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) stranding between 2000 and 2005 along the California coast between San Francisco […]
Monitoring and Mitigation to Address Fecal Pathogen Pollution along California Coast
In cooperation with the University of California, Davis and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, CCLEAN was awarded a grant from the California State Water Board to use both laboratory and field approaches to investigate issues related to water quality monitoring and mitigation of fecal pathogen pollution along the central California coast. Our specific […]
Effects of River Discharges on Sea Surface Chlorophyll and Suspended Sediments in Monterey Bay
As part of CCLEAN’s routine measurements, nutrient and pathogen data are collected from several streams in the Monterey Bay region. CCLEAN compared SeaWIFS chlorophyll (n=11, 4 sites, N=44) and normalized water leaving radiance at 555 nm (nLw555; n=4, 4 sites, N=16) for reference and “impact” stations near Scott Creek and Pajaro River. Using paired t-tests, […]
PFAS Sampling Under State of California Order 2020-0015-DWQ
Each CCLEAN participating agency was required to implement monitoring of influent, effluent and biosolids for a specified list of PFAS analytes. The collection and analysis of samples were performed according to strigent State of California and Department of Defense protocols that minimized sample contamination due to clothing and sample collection equipment. The program was performed […]
Microplastics in CCLEAN Wastewater Effluent Discharges
In response to regulatory agency initiatives to improve understanding of the types and quantities of microplastic particles being discharged into Monterey Bay by municipal wastewater agencies, CCLEAN added microplastics as an emerging contaminant to be measured under the program in 2020. Although there are currently no restrictions for daily loads of microplastics being discharged into […]
