| Water Body Name: | Yuba River (confluence of North and Middle Yuba Rivers to Englebright Lake) |
| Water Body ID: | CAR5174102220020702105502 |
| Water Body Type: | River & Stream |
DECISION ID |
11441 |
Region 5 |
Yuba River (confluence of North and Middle Yuba Rivers to Englebright Lake) |
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| Pollutant: | Mercury |
| Final Listing Decision: | List on 303(d) list (TMDL required list) |
| Last Listing Cycle's Final Listing Decision: | New Decision |
| Revision Status | Revised |
| Sources: | Resource Extraction |
| Expected TMDL Completion Date: | 2021 |
| Impairment from Pollutant or Pollution: | Pollutant |
| Regional Board Conclusion: | This pollutant is being considered for placement on the section 303(d) list under sections 3.1 and 3.5 of the Listing Policy. Under section 3.1 a single line of evidence is necessary to assess listing status. Two lines of evidence are available in the administrative record to assess this pollutant. Three of the samples exceed the water quality objective.
Based on the readily available data and information, the weight of evidence indicates that there is sufficient justification in favor of placing this water segment-pollutant combination on the section 303(d) list in the Water Quality Limited Segments category. This conclusion is based on the staff findings that: 1. The data used satisfies the data quality requirements of section 6.1.4 of the Policy. 2. The data used satisfies the data quantity requirements of section 6.1.5 of the Policy. 3. Three of 20 samples exceeded the USEPA fish tissue residue criterion for human health of 0.3 mg/kg, and this exceeds the allowable frequency listed in Table 3.1 of the Listing Policy. 4. Pursuant to section 3.11 of the Listing Policy, no additional data and information are available indicating that standards are not met. |
| Regional Board Decision Recommendation: | After review of the available data and information, RWQCB staff concludes that the water body-pollutant combination should be placed on the section 303(d) list because applicable water quality standards are exceeded and a pollutant contributes to or causes the problem. |
| State Board Review of Regional Board Conclusion and Recommendation: | |
| State Board Decision Recommendation: | After review of this Regional Board decision, SWRCB staff recommend the decision be approved by the State Board. |
| USEPA Action (if applicable): | USEPA approved the listing of this water body as a water quality limited segment requiring a TMDL for this pollutant. |
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| LOE ID: | 22424 | ||||
| Pollutant: | Mercury | ||||
| LOE Subgroup: | Pollutant-Tissue | ||||
| Matrix: | Tissue | ||||
| Fraction: | Total | ||||
| Beneficial Use: | Commercial or recreational collection of fish, shellfish, or organisms | ||||
| Number of Samples: | 1 | ||||
| Number of Exceedances: | 1 | ||||
| Data and Information Type: | PHYSICAL/CHEMICAL MONITORING | ||||
| Data Used to Assess Water Quality: | One 4-fish composite sample of Sacramento Pikeminnow was collected from the Yuba River, Middle Fork for fish tissue analysis. The wet weight mercury concentration of this fish tissue sample was 0.64 ppm, which exceeds the USEPA fish tissue criterion. The composite sample was collected from fish with total lengths greater than 150 mm, which represents fish most commonly caught and consumed by sport fishers and their families. | ||||
| Data Reference: | Toxic Substances Monitoring Program: Freshwater Bioaccumulation Monitoring: TSM Program Data 1978-2000. State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Quality | ||||
| SWAMP Data: | Non-SWAMP | ||||
| Water Quality Objective/Criterion: | All waters shall be maintained free of toxic substances in concentrations that produce detrimental physiological responses in human, plant, animal, or aquatic life. The objective applies regardless of whether the toxicity is caused by a single substance or the interactive effect of multiple substances. | ||||
| Objective/Criterion Reference: | Water Quality Control Plan for the California Regional Water Quality Control Board Central Valley Region, Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins. 4th ed | ||||
| Evaluation Guideline: | The USEPA Fish Tissue Residue Criterion for methylmercury in fish is 0.3 mg/kg (0.3 ppm) for the protection of human health. This is the concentration in fish tissue that should not be exceeded based on a total fish and shellfish consumption-weighted rate of 0.0175 kg fish/day. | ||||
| Guideline Reference: | Water Quality Criterion for the Protection of Human Health: Methylmercury. Final. United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Science and Technology Office of Water. EPA-823-R-01-001. January 2001 | ||||
| Spatial Representation: | One fish sample was collected from the Yuba River, Middle Fork, one mile downstream of the Highway 49 crossing. | ||||
| Temporal Representation: | The fish sample was collected on 8/4/1980. | ||||
| Environmental Conditions: | Significant gold mining activity occurred during the Gold Rush era within the Yuba River, Middle Fork watershed (USGS, 2005). | ||||
| QAPP Information: | Data quality: Good. Quality Control for the fish sampling, tissue preparation, mercury analysis, and QA sample analysis portions of this study was conducted as described in the Toxic Substance Monitoring Report for 1980 (McCleneghan et al., 1981). | ||||
| QAPP Information Reference(s): | |||||
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| LOE ID: | 22423 | ||||
| Pollutant: | Mercury | ||||
| LOE Subgroup: | Pollutant-Tissue | ||||
| Matrix: | Tissue | ||||
| Fraction: | Total | ||||
| Beneficial Use: | Commercial or recreational collection of fish, shellfish, or organisms | ||||
| Number of Samples: | 19 | ||||
| Number of Exceedances: | 2 | ||||
| Data and Information Type: | PHYSICAL/CHEMICAL MONITORING | ||||
| Data Used to Assess Water Quality: | Fish were sampled for tissue analysis at three locations from the Yuba River, Middle Fork. A total of 2 out of 19 samples exceeded the USEPA fish tissue criterion for human health. 1) Yuba River, Middle Fork upstream of Oregon Creek: The average wet weight mercury concentration in fish tissue was 0.38 ppm for the 5 samples collected at this location. The number of fish collected per sample, the measured mercury concentrations in fish tissue, and the number of exceedances are, by species: Rainbow Trout- 3 samples, 0.15-0.21 ppm (average 0.18 ppm), no exceedances; Sacramento Pikeminnow- 2 samples, 0.56 and 0.81 ppm, 2 exceedances. 2) Yuba River, Middle Fork upstream of Kanaka Creek: Nine Rainbow Trout samples were collected for tissue analysis at this location. None of the 9 samples exceeded the USEPA fish tissue criterion for human health. The wet weight mercury concentrations of the 9 samples ranged from 0.10 ppm to 0.24 ppm, with an average of 0.16 ppm. 3) Yuba River, Middle Fork upstream of Plumbago Road: Five Rainbow Trout samples were collected for tissue analysis at this location. None of the 5 samples exceeded the USEPA fish tissue criterion for human health. The wet weight mercury concentrations of the 5 samples ranged from 0.05 ppm to 0.19 ppm, with an average of 0.11 ppm. All 19 samples were collected from fish with total lengths greater than 150 mm, which represent fish most commonly caught and consumed by sport fishers and their families. | ||||
| Data Reference: | Gold mining impacts on food chain mercury in northwestern Sierra Nevada streams (1997 revision). In Sacramento River Mercury Control Planning Project. Larry Walker and Associates (editors). Final project report prepared for Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District. Davis, CA. March 1997 | ||||
| SWAMP Data: | Non-SWAMP | ||||
| Water Quality Objective/Criterion: | All waters shall be maintained free of toxic substances in concentrations that produce detrimental physiological responses in human, plant, animal, or aquatic life. The objective applies regardless of whether the toxicity is caused by a single substance or the interactive effect of multiple substances. | ||||
| Objective/Criterion Reference: | Water Quality Control Plan for the California Regional Water Quality Control Board Central Valley Region, Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins. 4th ed | ||||
| Evaluation Guideline: | The USEPA Fish Tissue Residue Criterion for methylmercury in fish is 0.3 mg/kg (0.3 ppm) for the protection of human health. This is the concentration in fish tissue that should not be exceeded based on a total fish and shellfish consumption-weighted rate of 0.0175 kg fish/day. | ||||
| Guideline Reference: | Water Quality Criterion for the Protection of Human Health: Methylmercury. Final. United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Science and Technology Office of Water. EPA-823-R-01-001. January 2001 | ||||
| Spatial Representation: | Samples were collected at three locations from the Yuba River, Middle Fork: just upstream of Oregon Creek and Highway 49; one mile upstream of Tyler Foote crossing, near Kanaka Creek; and one mile upstream of Plumbago Road. | ||||
| Temporal Representation: | Fish samples were collected during three sampling events from 10/1/1993 to 3/24/1994. | ||||
| Environmental Conditions: | Significant gold mining activity occurred during the Gold Rush era within the Yuba River, Middle Fork watershed (USGS, 2005). | ||||
| QAPP Information: | Data quality: Good. Quality Control for the fish sampling, tissue preparation, mercury analysis, and QA sample analysis portions of this study was conducted as described in the March 1997 Final Report (Slotton et al., 1997). | ||||
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