CEC Monitoring Efforts

Statewide CEC Pilot Monitoring

The CEC Program is developing a project to evaluate the feasibility of integrating advanced monitoring technologies, such as non-target analysis (NTA) and bioanalytical cell assays, into California’s watershed monitoring. These new approaches will be compared with conventional methods, including targeted chemical analyses and in vivo bioassays, to improve detection and understanding of emerging contaminants in both water and sediment. The data will provide insight into the utility and practicality of incorporating these tools into statewide monitoring programs. This project leverages statewide monitoring program resources from multiple programs within SWAMP, such as SPoT, Bioassessment, and Freshwater and Estuarine Harmful Algal Bloom (FHABs) programs. Results from two sampling seasons are currently being analyzed—check back soon for updates.

Expansion and Standardization of In Vitro Bioassays for Water Quality Screening

In 2020, the California State Water Board initiated a project with the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) to expand the suite of in vitro bioassays available for water quality screening. The project aimed to identify and optimize bioassay endpoints beyond the commonly used estrogen receptor and aryl hydrocarbon receptor assays, with relevance to protecting human and ecological health across a range of water matrices. The project resulted in standardized operating procedures, step-by-step protocols for optimized assays, a template quality assurance project plan, and guidance for data analysis and interpretation for three bioassays—androgen receptor (AR), anti-androgen receptor (anti-AR), and glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Results and recommendations from this work are presented in the following report:

• Development and Standardization of Bioanalytical Screening Tools Part I – Final Report
• Development and Standardization of Bioanalytical Screening Tools Part II – Protocols for Laboratory and Data Analysis

• Bioaccumulation Monitoring Program
  Addresses whether fish found in California's streams, lakes, and coastal areas are safe to eat by measuring contaminant concentrations in fish tissue. The Safe to Eat Workgroup (Workgroup), formerly known as the Bioaccumulation Oversight Group (BOG) guides the implementation of the Bioaccumulation Monitoring Program.

• Central Coast Ambient Monitoring Program (CCAMP)
  The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (Region 3) monitors for CECs in surface water as part of its regionally scaled water quality monitoring and assessment program. CCAMP monitoring is conducted through coordinated implementation of the Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP), including the Stream Pollutant Trends assessment program (SPoT) and the Freshwater CyanoHABs Program. Monitoring is implemented based on permit requirements and collaborative efforts with the Cooperative Monitoring Program for Agriculture, the City of Salinas, and the Central Coast Long-Term Environmental Assessment (CCLEAN) program, a discharger-funded monitoring program assessing loading of pollutants from stream, river, and effluent discharges and associated impacts the nearshore environment. CCAMP has also partnered with agencies such as the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) and the United State Geological Survey (USGS) to focus on high priority areas within the region. Additional information is available in the Region 3 SWAMP Factsheet and data is posted using an interactive tool, the CCAMP Data Navigator.

  CCAMP intermittently conducts additional special studies that include extra pesticide chemistry analysis to support TMDL development and provide follow up monitoring. More information about this program is available at the Water Board’s GAP program webpage.

  Region 3 coordinates with the statewide Bioaccumulation Oversight Group (BOG) to fund additional sample collection and tissue analysis of fish and shellfish in nearshore areas and lakes in the central coast. More information on these activities can be found on the Water Board’s Bioaccumulation Monitoring Program webpage.

• Delta Regional Monitoring Program (DRMP)
  In coordination with the State Water Board, the Central Valley Regional Water Board, and the San Francisco Bay Water Board, developed a regional monitoring program in the Delta. The DRMP includes a multi-year study (started in 2018) of current-use pesticides and aquatic toxicity in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Other studies include nutrients, mercury, pathogens, and CECs.
• San Francisco Bay Regional Monitoring Program (SF Bay RMP)
  The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board have investigated the occurrence and potential adverse impacts due to CECs since 2001 through this discharger-funded program. This program is partnership with combined financial support, direction, and participation by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board, the San Francisco Estuary Institute (administrator), and regulated dischargers in the San Francisco Bay.
• Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA)
  Convened a CEC Workgroup, consisting of the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board and various water supply and wastewater agencies throughout the Region.