Santa Monica Bay. Status Report: December Environmental Monitoring Division

Transcription

1 Santa Monica Bay Status Report: December 2004 Environmental Monitoring Division

2 SANTA MONICA BAY STATUS REPORT DECEMBER 2004 Board of Public Works Cynthia Ruiz, President Dave Sickler, Vice President Paula Daniels, President Pro Tempore Yolanda Fuentes, Commissioner Valerie Lynne Shaw, Commissioner Bureau of Sanitation Rita L. Robinson, Director Joseph E. Mundine, Assistant Director II Varouj S. Abkian, Assistant Director I Traci J. Minamide, Assistant Director I Enrique C. Zaldivar, Assistant Director I Environmental Monitoring Division Mas Dojiri, Division Manager Jon Ball, Water Biologist II Jeffrey Beller, Assistant Division Manager Curtis Cash, Water Biologist II Lee Huang, Instrumental Chemistry Manager Ann Dalkey, Water Biologist III Gerald McGowen, Biology Manager Greg Deets, Water Biologist II Farhana Mohamed, Ray Huang, Senior Chemist Conventional Chemistry Manager Ioannice Lee, Water Microbiologist II Sumi Roy-Burman, Leslie Sidio, Chemist II Data and Sample Management Manager This status report was produced using data, conclusions, and graphics reported in the City of Los Angeles, Environmental Monitoring Division s Santa Monica Bay Biennial Assessment Report, January 2003 December The combined efforts of the Environmental Monitoring Division staff that produced the technical report enabled us to create this public edition. As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Printed on recycled paper.

3 DEAR READERS: Each day, in laboratories, on research vessels, and along our shoreline, the City of Los Angeles monitors the environmental health of Santa Monica Bay. On the following pages you will read about our monitoring efforts and our assessment of the current conditions in the Bay. Additionally, we report how the City s wastewater and stormwater flows are managed and how these flows have impacted the health of the Bay and the public. The conclusions are based on thousands of samples and tests with a focus on those performed over the past 24 months. This report is a public edition of the City of Los Angeles, Environmental Monitoring Division s Santa Monica Bay Biennial Assessment Report. The formal report provides extensive monitoring data to regulators and is required as a part of the permit which allows the City of Los Angeles to discharge treated wastewater into the Bay. Agencies and organizations that receive the report include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, local municipalities, environmental groups, various Santa Monica Bay stakeholders, and other entities. The formal report can be obtained by contacting the Environmental Monitoring Division, Bureau of Sanitation, City of Los Angeles at or by visiting and following the links to the Santa Monica Bay Biennial Assessment Report. The monitoring data collected from January 2003 to December 2004 reflect an encouraging trend: environmental conditions in most parts of the Bay are good and getting better. The monitoring data collected from January 2003 to December 2004 reflect an encouraging trend: environmental conditions in most parts of the Bay are good and getting better. This shows that while there is still more that can be done, the City s efforts, along with those of other concerned agencies, organizations, and countless residents are making a quantifiable difference in the Bay s health. We can t afford to do less. A healthy Bay is a vital natural resource for everyone who visits, lives, and works in Southern California. Thank you for your interest in the health of Santa Monica Bay. For more details on any information in this document, please call or visit Cynthia Ruiz, President City of Los Angeles / Board of Public Works Rita L. Robinson, Director Department of Public Works / Bureau of Sanitation Mas Dojiri, Division Manager Bureau of Sanitation / Environmental Monitoring Division

4 PROTECTING THE BAY THE CITY S ROLE The City s Environmental Monitoring Division analyzes thousands of samples each year from the Hyperion Treatment Plant and Santa Monica Bay. Permits and the Environmental Monitoring Division The City of Los Angeles, the U.S. EPA, and the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board are partners in managing the water quality and general health of Santa Monica Bay, in part by developing, complying with, and enforcing National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for the operation of the Hyperion Treatment Plant and for the discharge of the City s stormwater and urban runoff. Testing plant processes and its effluent 2 The City has invested billions of dollars in new wastewater treatment technologies and stormwater and urban runoff control measures. In addition, it has implemented the most stringent operating procedures in Hyperion s history, including comprehensive monitoring protocols to protect public health and the area s natural resources. To ensure that the stringent permit standards are met, the plant s treatment processes, final effluent, Santa Monica Bay water, sediments, and marine organisms are continuously tested and analyzed by marine biologists, microbiologists, chemists, and laboratory technicians from the Bureau of Sanitation s Environmental Monitoring Division (EMD). EMD operates the most extensive monitoring program in Santa Monica Bay. The scientists have stateof-the-art equipment to perform the full range of procedures required by regulatory permits and other mandates. $1.6 billion was spent at the Hyperion Treatment Plant in Playa del Rey to create a world-class full secondary treatment facility. The City has invested billions of dollars in new wastewater treatment technologies and stormwater and urban runoff control measures.

5 Wastewater Management The City s wastewater system collects and treats 550 million gallons per day from over four million people within a 600 square mile service area that includes Los Angeles and 29 contracting cities and agencies. Los Angeles operates and maintains the largest wastewater collection system in the United States. More than 6,700 miles of sewers connect residences and businesses to the City s four wastewater treatment plants, including the Hyperion Treatment Plant in Playa del Rey. In 2003 and 2004, an average of 342 million gallons of wastewater was treated to the full secondary level each day at Hyperion during dry weather. The final effluent is discharged through a 5-Mile Outfall into Santa Monica Bay. Go online at to learn more about Hyperion's treatment processes. 118 San Fernando Valley 101 Santa Monica Mountains Pacific Palisades Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant Santa Monica Bay Beverly Hills 405 Santa Monica Hyperion Treatment Plant Torrance Los Angeles 110 Inglewood Palos Verdes San Gabriel Mountains 210 Pasadena 5 Glendale Los Angeles- 2 Glendale Water Reclamation Plant San Pedro Compton Terminal Island Treatment Plant Long Beach Wastewater Processing Raw Sewage Bar Screens Grit Removal Primary Settling Tank Secondary Oxygen Reactor Secondary Clarifying Tank Effluent Discharge to Ocean and Beneficial Reuse To Sanitary Landfill Primary Sludge Living Micro-Organisms/ Activated Sludge Biosolids Handling Waste Activated Sludge Thickening Methane Gas Anaerobic Digestion To Electrical Power Generation Centrifuge Dewatering Biosolids to Diverse Beneficial Reuse Options Primary Treatment - Most of the solids are removed here after they sink to the bottom of covered, underground tanks and are pumped to the anaerobic digesters. The liquid is then pumped to the secondary treatment system for further treatment. Secondary Treatment - In covered, oxygen-rich reactor tanks, microbes living in the wastewater consume most of the remaining solids. The microbes and solids are separated from the wastewater in clarifiers (shown above). Some of the biomass is recycled back to the aeration tanks to perform additional biological/secondary treatment and some is thickened, then sent to the anaerobic digesters. 5-Mile Outfall - After final settling in the clarifiers, the clear secondary effluent is discharged out the 5-mile long outfall pipe into Santa Monica Bay. (This video capture courtesy of Undersea Graphics, Inc.) 3

6 MONITORING INSIDE THE HYPERION TREATMENT PLANT Aerial view of the Hyperion Treatment Plant at Playa del Rey. Below, EMD staff provide vital data to assist in the optimization of daily treatment operations. Sewage moving through the plant s processes is tested daily to ensure that systems are operating properly to effectively remove pollutants. The sewage is regularly analyzed for a variety of chemicals, many of which can be toxic or carcinogenic at certain levels. During , the presence of toxic or carcinogenic chemicals was routinely monitored, but rarely detected. With few exceptions in thousands of tests over this period, these chemicals of concern were either not present at all or were at such low levels that they could not be detected by the most sensitive instrumentation. In the cases where equipment detected chemicals of concern, most were in concentrations well below the requirements of the Hyperion NPDES permit and the The plant s processes and its effluent are tested daily to ensure optimum treatment is attained. objectives of the California Ocean Plan. Hyperion Treatment Plant has an outstanding record of complying with these important environmental standards. As the City s largest treatment plant, it had only two minor permit exceedances in Key Facts: This historical plot for years shows that three metals of concern to human health; arsenic, chromium, and lead, have been reduced to levels just above minimum detection limits for Hyperion effluent. Hyperion s full secondary treatment process effectively removes most pollutants from wastewater. The concentrations of most carcinogenic and other toxic pollutants in Hyperion s effluent are too low to be detected. Only two minor permit exceedances occurred during

7 Conventional Constituents and Nutrients Priority Pollutant Inorganics Priority Pollutant Organics Acid Extractable Compounds Base & Neutral Extractable Compounds Most carcinogens and nearly all organic constituents were either not detected by EMD s sophisticated instrumentation or barely detected. Several factors are used to determine which chemicals are on the list to be tested. Other criteria, based mainly on risk factors, have been developed to determine the limits, such as having carcinogenic or toxic properties Effluent Data Reported to the RWQCB Current Concentrations in 5-Mile Effluent Concentrations After Initial Dilution b CA Ocean Plan (ug/l) Constituents NPDES Limits a Avg. Max. Min. Avg. Max. Min. Objectives c,j Total Suspended Solids (mg/l) Biochemical Oxygen Demand (mg/l) Oil & Grease (mg/l) 25 ND 4.0 ND ND 25 Settleable Solids (ml/l) 1.0 ND 0.40 ND ND ND 1.0 Total Organic Carbon (mg/l) NL Phosphorus (Total ) (mg/l) NL Ammonia-Nitrogen (mg/l) Organic-Nitrogen (mg/l) NL Nitrate-Nitrogen (mg/l) NL ND ND Turbidity (NTU) ph d d d Antimony NL Arsenic DNQ(1.2) DNQ(0.014) 8 Beryllium ND ND Cadmium 21 DNQ(0.15) DNQ(0.7) ND DNQ(0.002) DNQ(0.008) ND 1 Chromium (hexavalent) e ND ND 2 Chromium (total) NL DNQ(1.46) DNQ(2.6) ND DNQ(0.017) DNQ(0.031) ND f Copper Lead 101 DNQ(3.22) DNQ(14.3) ND DNQ(0.038) DNQ(0.17) ND 2 Mercury 1.1 ND DNQ(0.038) ND ND DNQ(0.000) ND 0.04 Nickel Selenium 1275 DNQ(0.91) DNQ(1.4) DNQ(0.2) DNQ(0.011) DNQ(0.016) DNQ(0.002) 15 Silver DNQ(0.8) DNQ(0.09) 0.7 Thallium ND ND 2 Zinc DNQ(15.0) DNQ(0.18) 20 Tributyltin (ng/l)* 119 ND ND ND ND ND ND 1.4 Cyanide 85 ND DNQ(6) ND ND DNQ(0.07) ND 1 Pesticides Aldrin ND ND ND ND ND ND ng/l Dieldrin ND ND ND ND ND ND ng/l Endrin 0.17 ND ND ND ND ND ND Toxaphene ND ND ND ND ND ND ng/l DDT & Derivates (ng/l) 14 ND ND ND ND ND ND 0.17 HCH s 0.34 ND ND ND ND ND ND Endosulfan ND ND ND ND ND ND PCB s ND ND ND ND ND ND ng/l Chlordane & Related Compounds ND ND ND ND ND ND ng/l Heptachlor g ND ND ND ND ND ND 0.05 ng/l Heptachlor Epoxide NL ND ND ND ND ND ND 0.02 ng/l Volatile Organic Compounds: Acrolein ND ND ND ND ND ND 220 Acrylonitrile 9 ND ND ND ND ND ND 0.10 Benzene NL ND ND ND ND ND ND 5.9 Halomethanes NL Carbon tetrachloride 76 ND ND ND ND ND ND 0.9 Chlorobenzene NL ND ND ND ND ND ND 570 Chloroform NL Vinyl Chloride NL ND ND ND ND ND ND 36 1,3-Dichloropropene NL ND ND ND ND ND ND 8.9 Ethylbenzene NL ND ND ND ND ND ND 4100 Methylene chloride NL ,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane NL ND ND ND ND ND ND 2.3 Tetrachloroethene NL Toluene NL ND ND ND ND ,1,1-Trichloroethane NL ND ND ND ND ND ND ,1,2-Trichloroethane NL ND ND ND ND ND ND 9.4 Trichloroethene NL ND ND ND ND ND ND 27 1,1-Dichloroethylene NL ND ND ND ND ND ND 0.9 1,2-Dichloroethane NL ND ND ND ND ND ND 28 Dichlorobromomethane NL ChloroDibromomethane NL Non-Chlorinated Phenolic Compounds NL ND ND ND ND ND ND 30 2,4-Dinitrophenol 340 ND ND ND ND ND ND 4.0 4,6-Dinitro-2-Methyl Phenol NL ND ND ND ND ND ND 220 Chlorinated Phenolic Compounds 85 ND ND ND ND ND ND 1 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol 25 ND ND ND ND ND ND 0.29 PAHs ND ND ND ND ND ND 8.8 ng/l Fluoranthene 1270 ND ND ND ND ND ND 15 Benzidine ND ND ND ND ND ND ng/l Bis (2-chloroethyl) ether 4 ND ND ND ND ND ND Bis (2-chloroethoxy) methane 374 ND ND ND ND ND ND 4.4 Bis (2-chloroisopropyl) ether NL ND ND ND ND ND ND 1200 Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate 297 ND 3.0 ND ND ND 3.5 Di-n-butyl phthalate NL ND ND ND ND ND ND ,4-Dichlorobenzene NL ND ND 18 3,3-Dichlorobenzidine ND ND ND ND ND ND Diethyl phthalate NL ND ND ND ND ND ND Dimethyl phthalate NL ND ND ND ND ND ND ,4-Dinitrotoluene 221 ND ND ND ND ND ND 2.6 Hexachlorobenzene ND ND ND ND ND ND 0.21 ng/l Hexachlorobutadiene NL ND ND ND ND ND ND 14 Hexachlorocyclopentadiene 4930 ND ND ND ND ND ND 58 Isophorone NL ND ND ND ND ND ND 730 Nitrobenzene 416 ND ND ND ND ND ND 4.9 N-Nitrosodimethylamine 620 ND ND ND ND ND ND 7.3 N-Nitrosodiphenylamine 212 ND ND ND ND ND ND 2.5 N-Nitrosodi-N-propylamine NL ND ND ND ND ND ND 0.38 Hexachloroethane 212 ND ND ND ND ND ND 2.5 1,2-Diphenylhydrazine h 14 ND ND ND ND ND ND 0.16 Dichlorobenzenes i NL ND ND ND ND ND ND 5100 Others: 2,3,7,8-Dioxin* * 0.4 pg/l ND ND ND ND ND ND pg/l Residual Chlorine (mg/l) 0.17 ND 0.1 ND ND ND ND All concentrations are in micrograms per liter (parts per billion) unless noted otherwise. a TSS, BOD, O&G and settleable solids limit based on 30-day average concentration. All others are based on monthly average concentration. b Calculated values based on a minimum initial dilution of 84 parts seawater + 1 part effluent. c For O&G and settleable solids based on 30-day avg. concentration. All others are based either on 30-day avg. or 6-month median. d Not applicable: The concept of dilutions does not apply to ph measurements. e Not listed as priority pollutants. f as Chromium (III) g Heptachlor means the sum of heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide h as Azobenzene i Dichlorobenzenes mean the sum of 1,2- and 1,3-dichlorobenzene j Based on 6-month median and 30-day average limiting concentrations * Tributyltin was analyzed by CRG Marine Laboratory, Torrance, CA. ** Dioxin was analyzed by Severn Trent Laboratories, Carol Stream Ill. MDL = Method Detection Limit; NL = Not Listed; NA = Not Available; ND = Not Detected; DNQ=Detected but Not Quantified 5

8 The City has two ocean going vessels that take to the Bay year round so that scientists can collect samples from 44 sites. MONITORING SANTA MONICA BAY WATERS City of Los Angeles marine biologists monitor water columns in Santa Monica Bay vertical cross-sections of ocean water from the surface to the sea floor to locate and analyze the effluent plume (the effluent discharged from Hyperion s 185 foot deep, 5-Mile Outfall). They measure the plume s composition using a Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) instrument to measure certain physical characteristics of the water in order to identify the location and magnitude of the effluent plume and to investigate how well it mixes with the receiving waters of Santa Monica Bay. The CTD measures salinity, temperature, depth, transmissivity (how well light is transmitted though the water), dissolved oxygen, ph, chlorophyll, and colored dissolved organic material (particles). The effluent plume is generally found within 2 km of the 5-Mile Outfall. In , Hyperion s discharges met all NPDES permit requirements for Santa Monica Bay waters. Lower salinity is indicated by blue and signifies freshwater inputs. The effluent plume (in light blue), can be seen offshore below the surface, and the stormwater (dark blue) at the shore on the surface. The CTD (above) takes nearly continuous measurements from the surface to bottom of Santa Monica Bay. When several stations are sampled, the City is able to develop a 3-dimensional image (left) of water quality in Santa Monica Bay. 6

9 Key Facts: Hyperion s discharge meets all NPDES limits for Santa Monica Bay waters. While the location of the effluent plume shifts in the Bay depending on currents and water temperatures, it has never reached area beaches (based on over 500 water quality surveys). In , Hyperion s effluent had no permit violations for either acute or chronic toxicity. The results of toxicity testing indicate that today s Hyperion effluent will not have harmful effects on aquatic life in Santa Monica Bay. Monitoring the Effects of Effluent on Marine Organisms Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) tests are performed monthly in the laboratory to assess the potential toxicity of Hyperion s effluent on the organisms that live in the Bay. Two different types of WET tests are required by the HTP Permit: Acute Toxicity Testing measures the concentration of effluent that would cause a reduction in survival of the test organisms. Chronic Toxicity Testing measures the concentration of effluent that would cause a reduction of the organisms growth, reproduction, or early development. Abalone (Haliotis rufescens) larvae used for chronic toxicity tests. WET tests are performed in the laboratory (in vitro) under controlled conditions using live organisms to measure the combined toxic effects of all effluent constituents (see Effluent Data Table on page 5). The City s Environmental Monitoring Division provides critical information from these tests to Hyperion Treatment Plant operators to help maintain effluent discharges well below toxicity thresholds. Hyperion s effluent must pass both monthly Acute Toxicity and Chronic Toxicity Tests. Young silverside minnow (Menidia beryllina) is used for chronic toxicity tests (below). This fish is approximately 5 mm in length. WET tests are performed in the laboratory under controlled conditions (below left). 7

10 The storm drain system runs throughout our watersheds and empties into Santa Monica Bay. BEACHES AND THE SHORELINE Monitoring the Shoreline Hyperion s NPDES permit and the municipal stormwater permit require that EMD monitor over 50 miles of shoreline, from El Pescador State Beach, north of Point Dume, to Cabrillo Beach in Los Angeles Harbor, for the possible presence of pathogenic organisms. Water samples are analyzed for indicator bacteria (total coliforms, fecal coliforms or E.coli, and enterococcus), which are not themselves pathogenic, but indicate the presence of pathogenic organisms. Tests have consistently shown no evidence of wastewater-borne indicator bacteria at the shoreline due to discharged Hyperion effluent. However, monitoring does show that stormwater and urban runoff, flowing out of stormdrains, contain significant contaminants and bacterial organisms that are discharged in measurable amounts at the shoreline. Managing Stormwater and Urban Runoff The City consistently samples and tests shoreline waters. Stormwater and runoff are the biggest contributors of pollution and contamination to shoreline waters, especially during storms. As a result, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board has issued a joint permit to several municipalities having watersheds that connect to Santa Monica Bay, including the City of Los Angeles, in order to reduce the amount of contamination flowing to the Bay. Results from the City s monitoring efforts are used to track the effectiveness of the clean-up efforts as well as to help create the Beach Report Card. The 414 square-mile Santa Monica Bay watershed is made up of numerous smaller watersheds or sub-basins. A total of 28 sub-basins drain into Santa Monica Bay. The largest of these sub-basins are the 130 square-mile Ballona Creek watershed, Malibu Creek at 110 squaremiles, and Topanga Creek watershed, draining 18 square-miles. Due to the Bureau of Sanitation s extensive and proactive efforts in sewer-line cleaning, closed-circuit televised inspections, sewer upgrades, and the FOG (Fats, Oil, and Grease) program, the number of sewage spills, or sanitary sewer overflows, has been reduced by 45% in from those experienced in This, in turn, has reduced beach closures. Santa Monica Bay Ballona Sub-Basins Malibu Sub-Basins SMB Sub-Basins Topanga Sub-Basins Waterbodies Streams 8

11 The flows originate as runoff from rooftops, residential yards, parking lots, freeways, industrial and commercial facilities, construction sites, golf courses, parks, and many other surfaces. Unlike wastewater, most of these flows are not treated prior to discharge near the shoreline. The City of Los Angeles is committed to protecting the public s health and improving the water quality of our coastal waters by: Keep oil, pesticides, detergents, and other pollutants out of the storm drains. Dispose of them properly. Installing pollution control devices throughout Los Angeles. Placing low-flow diversion structures into storm drains that direct portions of dry-weather urban runoff to Hyperion for treatment, that otherwise would discharge to the Santa Monica Bay. Implementing other measures including catch basin cleaning and labeling, urban lakes programs, and public education programs. Engaging in cooperative efforts with other agencies such as sharing monitoring data with the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, who then initiate beach closures when appropriate, and Heal the Bay to incorporate the data into their Beach Report Card. The City is installing pollution control devices throughout Los Angeles. Each of us can help reduce the amount of pollution in urban runoff. Fast food wrappers, cigarette butts, containers, oil, antifreeze, fertilizer, pesticides, and pet wastes can find their way from our neighborhoods to the shoreline through the storm drain system. Other stormwaterrelated information can be found at: Key Facts: Hyperion s effluent has no measurable impact on the water quality of the shoreline area. Stormwater and urban runoff are the biggest contributors of pollution and contamination to shoreline waters. Trash and other pollutants are deposited on our shorelines through the storm drains. The County Department of Health Services recommends swimming at least 100 feet from the mouth of a storm drain and to wait at least three days after a storm before going into the ocean. Permit-driven stormwater and urban runoff pollution control devices and programs are improving the shoreline environment. 9

12 Pyromaia tuberculata MONITORING THE BAY S SEDIMENT Sediments retain higher levels of pollutants near the closed 7-Mile Sludge Outfall than near the 5-Mile Effluent Outfall. Sediment is sampled from the bottom of the Bay at 44 offshore stations. Laboratory and field testing measure how sediment composition and quality is affected by Hyperion s discharged wastewater and how the Bay s ecosystem is affected by materials found in the sediment. The cessation of sludge disposal to the Bay in 1987 and the advent of full secondary treatment at Hyperion in 1998 resulted in a dramatic reduction in the discharge of solids to the Bay. This coincided with an immediate increase in the number and diversity of species near the 5-Mile Outfall. Today, the area around the 5-Mile Outfall has the greatest species diversity of any equivalent site in the Bay. Highest mercury concentrations were found near the closed 7-Mile Sludge Outfall. Sediment quality is evaluated using two statistical thresholds. The ERL (Effects Range - Low) test identifies the threshold or concentration of metals or organic compounds below which adverse impacts are rarely found. The ERM (Effects Range - Medium) identifies the concentration above which adverse impacts are frequently found. DDT levels have fluctuated over recent years. Settleable Solids (Lx10 6 ) Settleable Solids Species Animal populations have increased over time as solids have decreased at the 5-Mile Outfall sampling station. 10

13 The cladogram of community relationships (below) over time from the 5-Mile Outfall clearly reflects an increase in species diversity, represented by the longer branch lengths, due to improved effluent quality from 1986 to the present. Significant reductions in mass emissions from the 5-Mile Outfall in 1986, followed by the termination of sludge discharge from the 7-Mile Outfall in 1987, resulted in immediate increases in species diversity represented by the blue subset of samples. An even more dramatic increase in species diversity and abundance occurred after the Hyperion Treatment Plant upgraded to full secondary treatment in 1998, represented by the green subset of samples at the top of the cladogram Full Secondary Treatment Significant Improvents in Treatment and Mass Emissions Reduction Cessation of 7-Mile Outfall Sludge Discharge 1983 Dramatic Increase in Biodiversity Resulting from Full Secondary Treatment Upgrade Increased Biodiversity Resulting from Improvements Made in 1986 and 1987 Increased Biodiversity Over Time Improved Wastewater Treatment Over Time The health of this and other bottom-dwelling organisms is determined, in part, by the sediments they live on. Key Facts: Sediment is sampled from the bottom of the Bay at 44 offshore stations. At all 44 stations in Fiscal Year , average metal concentrations were below ERL levels (where adverse impacts are rare). Silver exceeded the ERM value at the 5-Mile station. The average total DDT concentration fell between the ERL and the ERM values. The average total PCB concentration at 43 stations fell below the ERL value. At the 5-Mile Outfall, it was above the ERL value but below the ERM value. Tests indicate that DDT and PCBs found in sediments may have caused some biological impacts at some of the 44 sampling sites. The primary source of these chemicals is old wastewater discharges, prior to the passage of the Clean Water Act (CWA) in

14 MONITORING amphipod BAY ORGANISMS Two different types of monitoring are conducted by the City s Environmental Monitoring Division to determine the levels of pollutants in fish tissue. As in the sediment studies, the primary pollutants of concern are organics (primarily DDT and PCBs) and metals (e.g., copper, mercury, and arsenic). The main sources of these contaminants are the old effluent discharges (discharged before the enactment of the CWA). In one type of monitoring, the City of Los Angeles analyzes tissues of the hornyhead turbot, a bottom-dwelling fish that is caught using a net dragged on the ocean floor. This study examines whether or not pollutants found in sediment are being absorbed and concentrated in aquatic organisms as they move up the food chain. In , the studies showed that, years after they were discharged, these pollutants are still measured at elevated levels in some Bay organisms. The hornyhead turbot is targeted as the trawled fish for monitoring studies because it feeds on bottom-dwelling macrofauna. The second type of monitoring is a rig-fishing (hook and line) survey. In the laboratory, muscle tissue from species caught during these surveys and caught by the public are analyzed to determine if certain fish are safe to eat. A variety of fish are caught and tested. Most species of fish contain very low levels of pollutants of concern. However, scorpionfish and a few others consistently show levels of contamination that exceed the safe levels that have been set by the State of California. The City s trawl and rig sampling studies support the State of California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) advisory that makes the following recommendations for fish caught locally in Santa Monica Bay. The summary states: Do not consume any white croaker from the Bay. Limit consumption of scorpionfish, rockfish, and kelp bass to one meal* every two weeks. Limit consumption of queenfish caught off Malibu Pier to one meal a month. Limit consumption of corbina caught off Redondo Pier to one meal every two weeks. *A meal or serving is about six ounces of fish. Consumers are encouraged to reference the following Websites and other links provided by OEHHA: Key Facts: 12 DDT, PCBs, and mercury from sediments are still found today in some Bay organisms. The source of the contamination is old wastewater discharges (prior the enactment of the CWA). The findings of the City s Seafood Monitoring Program support the recommendations of the OEHHA advisory for eating certain fish caught in Santa Monica Bay.

15 SUMMARY The overall health of Santa Monica Bay is good and it is improving. Species have been observed in increasingly greater numbers over the past few years with improved Bay water quality. The improved conditions are due, in large part, to the exceptional wastewater processing standards at the Hyperion Treatment Plant. The City of Los Angeles, Department of Public Works, Environmental Monitoring Division has the largest monitoring program in Santa Monica Bay. EMD, along with other governmental agencies and environmental watch groups, assess the Bay s condition using the most advanced scientific equipment and procedures. Swimming and wading are safe in most locations along the coast during most days of the year. Warnings, when posted, should be heeded. Most species of locally caught fish contain very low levels of pollutants of concern and are safe to eat. A few other species exceed the safe levels set by the State of California, and the recommendations set by the state should be followed. Everyone can influence the health of Santa Monica Bay by voting on environmental funding measures and taking part in Bay improvement programs. 13

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