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− | A [[Watershed Issues|watershed-related issue]] examined by the [http://sep.csumb.edu/wiki/index.php/ENVS_560/L_Watershed_Systems ENVS 560/L Watershed Systems] class at [http://csumb.edu CSUMB].
| + | #Redirect:[[Total Maximum Daily Load for Nutrients in Lower Salinas River Watershed, Monterey County, California]] |
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− | [[Image:NitrateMeas andSources.png|400px|thumb|right|Surface nitrate concentrations and estimated source contributions in the [[LSRW]].]]
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− | ==Summary==
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− | Excess nitrates in surface water are the cause of many nutrient and biostimulatory-related (chlorophyll, turbidity, etc) impairment listings as part of the section 303 (d) of the Clean Water Act in the [[LSRW]].
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− | ==Location==
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− | ==Resource/s at stake==
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− | [[Drinking water]] is an important resource which has been threatened by high levels of nitrates in the Lower Salinas River Watershed <ref name="Nitrate Drinking Water">UC Davis study on elevated nitrates as a threat to drinking water and public health in the Salinas Valley [http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20120317/NEWS01/203170316/Contamination-conundrum-Spotlight-nitrate-Salinas-Valley-drinking-water] </ref><ref name="Addressing nitrate in CA drinking water''>2012 UC Davis study on groundwater nitrate contamination in California [http://groundwaternitrate.ucdavis.edu/files/138956.pdf]</ref><ref name="Agricultural impacts on groundwater nitrate''>Article on agricultural impacts on groundwater nitrate [www.swhydro.arizona.edu/archive/V8_N4/feature2.pdf] </ref>.
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− | ==Stakeholders==
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− | *[[Grower-Shipper Association|Grower-Shipper Association of Central California]] [http://www.growershipper.com/]
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− | *[[CCRWQCB]] [http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/centralcoast/]
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− | *[[California Coastkeeper Alliance]] [http://www.cacoastkeeper.org/]
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− | *[[National Marine Fisheries Service|NMFS]] [http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/]
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− | *[[Monterey County Farm Bureau]]
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− | *[[Central Coast Water Quality Preservation, Inc. (CCWQPI)]]
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− | ==Laws, policies, & regulations==
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− | ===Regulatory background===
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− | ...What laws, policies, and/or regulations are involved?...
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− | ====Preliminary draft project report for nutrient TMDLs (Lower Salinas River Watershed)====
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− | [[Image:Nitrate Map 2012TMDLDraftReport.png|350px|right|thumb|Surface nitrate concentrations and estimated source contributions in the [[LSRW]].]]
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− | A recent (March 2012) ''preliminary'' draft project report by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, (CRWQCB) Central Coast Region ([[CCRWQCB]]) on TMDLs for nutrients in the Lower Salinas River Watershed<ref name="TMDLs CA Waterboard">Link to Waterboard TMDLs for Nutrients in the Lower Salinas Watershed [http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/rwqcb3/water_issues/programs/tmdl/docs/salinas/nutrients/index.shtml]</ref>.
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− | In this document, the work group identifies multiple [[Beneficial uses (Clean Water Act)|beneficial uses]] (BUs) as impaired, including those for drinking water supply, livestock watering, and aquatic habitat BUs.
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− | From the preliminary draft document<ref name="TMDLs CA Waterboard"/>:
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− | <blockquote>
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− | "''Problem Statement'':
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− | "Discharges of nitrogen compounds and orthophosphate are occurring at levels in surface waters
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− | which are impairing a wide spectrum of beneficial uses and, therefore, constitute a serious
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− | water quality problem. The municipal and domestic drinking water supply (MUN, GWR)
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− | beneficial uses and the range of aquatic habitat beneficial uses are currently impaired; potential
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− | or future beneficial uses of the agricultural irrigation water supply (AGR) for sensitive crops may
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− | be impaired..." <br /><br />"A total of 34
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− | waterbody/pollutant combinations are impaired due to exceedances of water quality objectives.
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− | The pollutants addressed in this TMDL are nitrate, un-ionized ammonia, and orthophosphate –
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− | orthophosphate is included as a pollutant due to biostimulatory impairments of surface waters.
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− | Reducing these pollutants is also anticipated to address several 303(d)-listed dissolved oxygen
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− | and chlorophyll a impairments in the TMDL project area."
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− | </blockquote>
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− | ==Systems==
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− | ... What elements of the biophysical system are/were involved?...
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− | ==Science==
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− | Studies to determine nitrate concentrations in groundwater have been conducted in the LSRW.
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− | ==Tools==
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− | ...What analytical (e.g. modeling) tools were or could be used?...
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− | ==Future research==
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− | ...What knowledge gaps remain?...
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− | ...Suggest a CWSP MS thesis topic that could contribute to the issue...
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− | ...Suggest a topic for a hypothetical study that had unlimited resources...
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− | ==References==
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− | <references/>
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− | ==See also==
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− | *[[TMDLs_in_the_Monterey_Bay_Region_of_California#Approaches_to_developing_Numeric_Targets_for_Nutrients|TMDLs in the Monterey Bay Region of California]]
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− | *[[Total Maximum Daily Loads for Nutrients in Lower Salinas River Watershed, Monterey County, California|TMDLs for Nutrients in the Lower Salinas River Watershed, Monterey County]]
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− | *[[Total Maximum Daily Loads for Chlorpyrifos and Diazinon in Lower Salinas River Watershed, Monterey County, California]]
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− | ==Disclaimer==
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− | This page may contain student work completed as part of assigned coursework. It may not be accurate. It does not necessary reflect the opinion or policy of [[CSUMB]], its staff, or students.
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