Question:

1. Water Quality Question: You can eliminate the harmful effects of pollutants by discharging them into water which dilutes the concentration of the pollutant. True or False?

2. Federal: Water quality is protected by the EPA, under the Clean Water Act of 1972 (CWA). State: State Water Resource Control Board (SWRCB) Regional: Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board (SARWQCB) County: Orange County Stormwater Program City: NPDES- National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Regulation – Clean Water Act

3. Poor Water Quality Use Impairment • Aquatic life toxicity • Suspended solids • Dissolved oxygen depletion • High Bacteria Levels • Trash • Impaired Beneficial Uses • Water contact recreation (swimming, surfing) • non-water contact recreation (fishing, boating) • municipal water supply • cold fresh water habitat

4. Water Quality in O.C. There are 16 waterbodiesin Orange County that are listed on the 303d List. Impaired OC water bodies have high levels of nitrogen, phosphorous, total dissolved solids (including sediments), pH, pathogens, metals, PCB, DDT, etc. Additionally, sediments are heavily contaminated in most channels.

5. Watershed Condition Monitoring Questions

6. What is the health of streams? Bioassessment Condition? 7-day Ceriodaphnia test Surveys: SWAMP and CADF&G California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM)

7. Parameters to be measured Typical • BACTERIA • Total Coliform • Fecal Coliform • E.coli • METALS • Cadmium • Chromium • Lead • Zinc • Mercury • SEDIMENT • TRASH • CHEMICALS • Nitrogen • Phosphorous • Ammonia • TOXIC COMPOUNDS • DDT • PCBs • Chlordane • Dieldrin • PESTICIDES • HERBICIDES • INSECTICIDES • US • Temperature • Dissolved Oxygen • Nitrates and Phosphates • Ammonia • pH • Conductivity • Turbidity • Flow (qualitative)

8. More about the things we will be measuring during our lesson tomorrow…woo!

9. Dissolved Oxygen A relative measure of the amount of gaseous oxygen, in the form of microscopic bubbles, dissolved in the water. Unit: mg/L UNCE, Reno, NV

10. Why do we care? – D.O. • Fish and other aquatic life need certain amounts of DO. • Stressful conditions: < 5 mg/L • Oxygen in water affects solubility of metals and other chemicals

11. Influences/Sources – ↑ D.O. • Diffusion from the surrounding air • Aeration (rapid movement of water) • Produced by algae & aquatic plants Influences/Sources – ↓ D.O. • Natural causes: • Uptake by organisms • Natural increases in temperature • Quiet water (low re-oxygenation) • Human causes: • Any source of biological material that will decay in water • High temperatures or low flows • Excessive plant growth in water (Nutrients!)

12. Temperature A measure of how hot or cold something is. On a molecular level, it is a measure of energy. The higher the temperature or the more energy they have, thefaster particles move. Units of measurement: Celsius vs. Fahrenheit? UNCE, Reno, NV

13. Why do we care? – Temp. • When Water Temperature Increases  • Dissolved Oxygen: Decreases • Conductivity: Increases • Animal/Plant Life: Increase in activity; spawning. * Too high: may be fatal • Metals/Toxic Compounds: Increase in toxicity to wildlife • Bacteria: Increases populations

14. Influences/Sources – Temp. • Natural causes: • Seasons • Length of river • Location of river • Hot springs • Human causes: • Removal of streamside vegetation (shade) • Runoff over concrete and other heated surfaces • Changes in stream shape • Reductions in flow • Industrial discharges

15. Turbidity USDA NRCS The cloudiness of water resulting from the amount of particles suspended in the water. The more difficult it is to see through the water, the more turbid the water.

16. Why do we care? Turbidity • Impacts of sediments in streams and lakes: • Can fill space between cobble in stream and smother fish eggs and tiny aquatic life • Very cloudy water affects visual predators • Sediments fill in reservoirs • Sediments bring nutrients, metals, and more into water InNewport Bay, high turbidity restricts the growth and survival of eelgrass.

17. Influences/Sources - Turbidity • Natural causes: • Natural “reworking” of flood plain • Remobilized sediment under high flows • Seasonal effects • Human causes: • Stream bank erosion • Boating, Dredging • Runoff (construction, agriculture, forestry, mining, residential)

18. Nutrients: Nitrates & Phosphates [NO3-] Nitrogen-containing compounds act as nutrients in streams and rivers. [PO4 3‐] An essential nutrient for aquatic plants and animals. UNCE, Reno, NV

19. Why do we care? - ↑ Nutrients In a natural stream, nutrient cycles help to keep the ecosystem balanced and healthy. But higher nutrient levels can cause negative effects on stream ecosystems.

20. Why do we care? - ↑ Nutrients • Phosphate is limiting nutrient in freshwater • Nitrate is limiting nutrient in freshwater • Increased growth of aquatic plants → algal blooms • Decreased DO levels → fish kills • How much is too much? • - Nitrate: • 10mg/L • - Phosphate: • 0.1 mg/L

21. Why do we care: Eutrophication A condition in which algae and aquatic plants will grow wildly (bloom) because of the availability of “food”, choke up the waterway, and use large amounts of oxygen.

22. “Dead Zones” = water at the sea floor is anoxic — it has very low (or completely zero) concentrations of dissolved oxygen. Fertilizer runoff Higher Nutrients in Water Explosion in phytoplankton growth More organic matter sinks to bottom Bacteria deplete oxygen levels

23. Influences/Sources – [NO3], [PO43-] • Natural causes: • Seasonal changes • Plant uptake • Human causes: • Land uses in the watershed • Fertilizers, animal manure • Discharges from sewage facilities and acid precipitation • Synthetic detergents (Phosphate)

24. Ammonia A nitrogen-containing nutrient used for plant growth. Sources:Domestic, industrial, and agricultural pollutants such as fertilizers or organic matter. Effects:In excess, it is highly toxic to aquatic life. How much is too much? 0.09mg/L Brain Teaser: In nature, ammonia quickly oxidizes to form nitrates. If you found high levels of ammonia in a creek, what could this fact tell you about what’s going on?

25. pH the level of acidity or alkalinity in a solution pH Scale: Pure Hydrochloric Acid Baking Soda Pure Sodium Hydroxide Vinegar, Wine, Orange Juice Bleach Milk Rain Water 5.6 Sea Water Gastric Fluids Lemon Juice Household Ammonia Oven Cleaner

26. Why do we care? - pH • Low pH can affect membranes • (eg. gills of fish or macroinvertebrates and eggs) • At low pH, causes some metals to dissolve into a more toxic form • At high pH, ammonia is more toxic

27. Influences/Sources - pH Natural causes: Rain is naturally acidic Rapid snow melt Photosynthesis in water  higher pH Human causes: Combustion causes acids in the atmosphere  acid precipitation Industrial discharge Mine drainage

28. Total Coliform: Testing for Bacteria • A group of relatively harmless bacteria commonly found in the environment a subgroup of total coliform that appear in great quantities in the intestines and feces of people and animals. Fecal Coliform: a subgroup of fecal coliform found in the intestines of warm-blooded animals.  Some strains cause illness.  E.coli: Using Indicators: When it is expensive and difficult to test for one strain of bacteria, detection of a designated group can indicate the presence of disease-causing strains.

29. Metals • Sources: • Copper dust from brake pads • Copper/Zinc boat bottom paint • Mining/Industrial activities • Improper disposal of hazardous waste • Smoke stack emissions • Metals attach to sediment and enter waterways • Impacts: • Toxic metals (e.g. cadmium, lead, copper, zinc, mercury) accumulate in aquatic organisms • Die-offs, accumulation up the food chain, potentially affecting humans • Lower pH levels  increases toxicity of certain metals

30. Conductivity A measure of the ability of water to pass an electrical current. • What affects conductivity? • Inorganic dissolved solids such as: • Chloride, nitrate, sulfate, and phosphate anions (ions that carry a negative charge) • Sodium, calcium, iron, and aluminum cations(ions with a positive charge). • Temperature: warmer water  higher conductivity • Geologyof the area • Human Sources: sewage spills, industrial discharges Units of measurement: microsiemens (µS/cm) or millisiemens (mS/cm) 1,000µS/cm = 1 mS/cm • So what does it really mean? • Normal range of conductivity in U.S. streams is between 50 – 1500 µS/cm • Streams supporting good fisheries range between 150 – 500 µS/cm

31. This is all kind of a downer, could you give us some good news please!

32. You can do something about urban runoff right now! In your community At home

33. Thanks for your time and attention! Discussion