California Trash Monitoring Methods Project
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.
Background
In 2015, the State Water Resources Control Board (Water Board) adopted an Amendment to the Ocean Waters of California (Ocean Plan) to Control Trash and Part 1 Trash Provision of the Water Quality Control Plan for Inland Surface Waters, Enclosed Bays, and Estuaries (ISWEBE Plan). Together these are referred to as the Trash Amendments. The Trash Amendments prohibit discharge of trash larger than 5 millimeters to state waters from stormwater systems. The Ocean Protection Council (OPC) sent a letter to the Water Board supporting adoption of the Trash Amendments in 2015. The letter expressed the OPC’s interest in the use of scientific measures to track and verify program effectiveness. Currently there is no agreed-upon scientific method to monitor for trash in water and receiving stormwater channels. This makes assessing permittees’ compliance and general progress on reducing trash in state waters difficult. This project would provide the research needed to develop scientific measures to monitor trash.
Project Goals
Library
Develop a library of standard trash monitoring methods through field testing, research, and outreach
Management Questions
Link management questions to viable trash monitoring methods
New Method Development
Explore novel methods for monitoring trash to measure their practicality and effectiveness
Information Exchange
Recommend standards in trash monitoring methods and information management to facilitate statewide trash characterization
Dates:
2017 to 2020
Funders:
Associated Staff:
Steve Weisberg, SCCWRP
Project Site:
Associated Data:
Programs and Focus Areas:
Clean Water Program
Environmental Informatics Program
Geographic Information Systems
Software Engineering
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