Sediment delivered from watersheds is a precious and dwindling resource for the Bay. The goal for wetland restoration around the Bay is to restore 100,000 acres. A total of $0.5 billion from Measure AA will be invested to reach this goal. However, preliminary estimates show that there is not enough sediment for these projects, even if all the sediment delivered to the Bay were used. The deficit gets even larger when sea level rise is considered. Therefore, knowing how much sediment is being delivered from which watersheds and changes in the supply over time is critical. The U.S.
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a broad class of fluorine-rich specialty chemicals. More than 4,700 PFAS are used in consumer, commercial and industrial applications. Well-studied members of the perfluoroalkyl family, including perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), have been shown to be highly toxic. Use is shifting to alternatives to PFOS and PFOA, including shorter-chain perfluoroalkyl chemicals and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals.
The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC), in close partnership with the State Water Board, has recognized the importance of standard methods for trash monitoring and has funded this project. The Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) and San Francisco Bay Estuary Institute (SFEI) have partnered up to test multiple trash monitoring methods with a goal of developing a library of methods with known levels of precision, accuracy, and cross-comparability of results, and linking these methods to specific management questions.
