The 303d list of Impaired Waterbodies in the Monterey Bay Region
An environmental summary created by the ENVS 560/L Watershed Systems class at CSUMB.
Update for 2014 Final Report
The most recent updates to this list are the Central Coast Water Board's recommended changes to the 2014 303(d) list. The changes were approved in 2016 by the State Water Board after a public hearing and comment period [1].
It is important to note that the list is not exhaustive, and only includes impaired bodies identified up to 2014, with their associated pollutants from the Integrated Report [2]. Observations from 1990 and 2010 have been updated.
The 303d list for impaired water bodies in the Monterey Bay Region is comprised of water bodies that do not currently meet water quality goals and are therefore classified as "impaired" under section 303d of the Clean Water Act. Beneficial uses are negatively impacted by pollutants which cause these impairments.
Political Process
This list is updated with water quality data acquired by the public as well as staff of the State Water Board and subsequently evaluated for listing following the [[ Water Quality Control Policy for Developing California's Clean Water Act Section 303(d)
List]] [3].
Summary table
The following table summarizes water bodies in the Monterey Bay area 303d listings that are managed by the CCRWQCB for impairments due to various pollutants. There are 55 impaired waterbodies listed in the region, with a total of 36 pollutants which cause these impairments.
Each waterbody is listed according to the latest year it was found with an impairment from the TMDL site [4] [5]. Category 5 describes a water body where the TMDL water quality standards are not met, and TMDLs are required but not yet complete. 5A denotes that a specific pollutant does not yet have a TMDL for that waterbody, and 5B refers to pollutants that have USEPA approved TMDLs for that waterbody [6].
| Monterey Bay Area 303(d) Waterbody Listings from the 2010 Integrated Report | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water Bodies | Impairments | ||||||
| Pesticide | Nutrients | Pathogens / Bacteria | Toxicity | Other | Metals | ||
| Alamo Creek | a (2014 Category 5) | ||||||
| Alisal Creek | a (2014 Category 5) | a (2014 Category 5) | e (2014 Category 5) | ||||
| Alisal Slough | a (2014* Category 5); b (2010* Category 5A) | a, b (2010* Category 5A) | g (2010* Category 5A) | ||||
| Aptos Creek | c (1990 Category 5A) | i (1990 Category 5A) | |||||
| Arroyo Seco River | b (2010* Category 5A) | d (2010* Category 5A) | |||||
| Beach Road Ditch | b (2010* Category 5A) | e, g, h (2010* Category 5A) | |||||
| Bear Creek | i (2010* Category 5B) | ||||||
| Bennett Slough | a, g, h (2010* Category 5A) | ||||||
| Blanco Drain | c, d (2008 Category 5A)
h (1998 Category 5A ) |
b (2008 Category 5A) | e, g (2008 Category 5A) | ||||
| Boulder Creek | i (2002 Category 5B) | ||||||
| Braciforte Creek | c (2008 Category 5A) | a, b, e (2008 Category 5A) | i (2002 Category 5B) | ||||
| Carneros Creek | a (Category 5A) | b (2008 Category 5A) | a, e, g, h (2008 Category 5A) | ||||
| Chualar Creek | c, d (2008 Category 5A) | a, b (2008 Category 5A) | a, b (2008 Category 5A) | b (2008 Category 5A) | d, e, h (2008 Category 5A) | ||
| Corcoran Lagoon | d (2010* Category 5A) | h (2010* Category 5A) | |||||
| Corralitos Creek | a & b (2010* Category 5A) | e & h (2010* Category 5A) | |||||
| Elkhorn Slough | h (1990 Category 5A) | d (2008 Category 5A) | g, h (2008 Category 5A)
i (1996 Category 5A) |
||||
| Esperanza Creek | b (2010* Category 5A) | ||||||
| Espinosa Lake | c, d (2010* Category 5A) | ||||||
| Espinosa Slough | d (2008 Category 5A)
h (1996 Category 5A) |
a, b (2008 Category 5A)
d (1996 Category 5A) |
a, b (2008 Category 5A) | e, h (2008 Category 5A) | |||
| Gabilan Creek | a (2008 Category 5A)
b (Category 5A ) |
b (2002 Category 5A) | a, b (2008 Category 5A) | e, h (2008 Category 5A) | |||
| Galligan Slough | c (2010* Category 5B) | ||||||
| Hanson Slough | c (2010* Category 5B) | ||||||
| Harkins Slough | c (2008 Category 5B) | a, g (2008 Category 5A) | |||||
| Lompico Creek | c (1994 Category 5B) | c (1994 Category 5A) | i (1990 Category 5B) | ||||
| Majors Creek | a (2010 Category 5A) | b, d, e (2010 Category 5A) | |||||
| McGowan Ditch | b (2010* Category 5A) | ||||||
| Merrit Ditch | a, b (2010* Category 5A) | a, b (2010* Category 5A) | e, g (2010* Category 5A) | ||||
| Monterey Harbor | a (2010* Category 5A) | f (2010* Category 5A) | |||||
| Moore Creek | a (2010* Category 5A) | b, g, h (2010* Category 5A) | |||||
| Moro Cojo Slough | h (2002 Category 5A) | a (2006 Category 5A) | a, d (2008 Category 5A) | g, i (2002 Category 5A)
h (2008 Category 5A) |
|||
| Moss Landing Harbor | c, d (2008 Category 5A)
h (1990 Category 5A) |
c (1992 Category 5A) | b (2008 Category 5A) | g, h (2008 Category 5A)
i (1996 Category 5A) |
c (2008 Category 5A) | ||
| Natividad Creek | a (2008 Category 5A)
b (Category 5A) |
a (2008 Category 5A) | a, b (2008 Category 5A) | d, e, g, h (2008 Category 5A) | |||
| Noble Gulch Creek | a (2010* Category 5A) | ||||||
| Old Salinas River | c, d (2008 Category 5A) | b (2008 Category 5A) | a, b (2008 Category 5A) | a, b (2008 Category 5A) | a, e, g, h (2008 Category 5A) | ||
| Old Salinas River Estuary | h (1990 Category 5A) | c (1992 Category 5A) | |||||
| Pacific Ocean at Capitola Beach | b, e (2010* Category 5A) | ||||||
| Pacific Ocean at Stillwater Cove Beach | e (2010* Category 5A) | ||||||
| Pajaro River | a, b, c, e, f, g (2008 Category 5A) | b (2006 Category 5B)
c (1996 Category 5B) |
a (2008 Category 5A)
b (2002 Category 5A) |
c, e, g, h (2008 Category 5A)
i (1996 Category 5B) |
a (2006 Category 5A) | ||
| Pinto Lake | a, g, h, j, k (2010* Category 5A) | ||||||
| Porter Gulch Creek | a, e (2010* Category 5A) | ||||||
| Quail Creek | c, d (2008 Category 5A) | a (2008 Category 5A)
b (2010 Category 5A) |
a, b (2008 Category 5A) | a, b (2008 Category 5A) | d, e, g (2008 Category 5A) | ||
| Salinas Reclamation Canal | c, d (2008 Category 5A)
h (1992 Category 5A) |
a (2006 Category 5A)
b (2008 Category 5A) d (1996 Category 5A) |
a (2008 Category 5A)
b (2002 Category 5A) |
a, b (2008 Category 5A) | e, h (2008 Category 5A)
g (2002 Category 5A) |
b (2008 Category 5A) | |
| Salinas River(lower, estuary to near Gonzales Rd crossing) | a, b, c, d, e, f, g (2008 Category 5A)
h (1994 Category 5A) i (2010 Category 5A) |
b (2010 Category 5A) | e, b, e (2008 Category 5A) | b (2008 Category 5A) | b, c, e, f, h (2008 Category 5A) | ||
| Salinas River Lagoon (North) | h (2010* Category 5A) | c (2010* Category 5A) | |||||
| Salinas River Refuge Lagoon (South) | e, h (2010* Category 5A) | ||||||
| Salsipuedes Creek | a, b (2010* Category 5A) | e, g, h (2010* Category 5A) | |||||
| San Lorenzo River | a, c, g (2008 Category 5A) | c (1996 Category 5B) | c (1998 Category 5A) | i (1998 Category 5B) | |||
| San Lorenzo River Lagoon | c (2010* Category 5A) | ||||||
| San Vicente Creek | i (2010* Category 5A) | ||||||
| Santa Rita Creek | a, b (2010* Category 5A) | a, b (2010* Category 5A) | c, g, e (2010* Category 5A) | ||||
| Schwan Lake | c (2010* Category 5A) | a, b, d (2010* Category 5A) | |||||
| Struve Slough | c (2010* Category 5A) | g, h (2010* Category 5A) | |||||
| Tembladero Slough | c, d (2008 Category 5A)
h (1996 Category 5A) |
b (2008 Category 5A)
c (1996 Category 5A) |
a, d(2008 Category 5A)
b (2002 Category 5A) e (2010 Category 5A) |
a, b (2008 Category 5A) | a, e, h (2008 Category 5A) | ||
| Tularcitos Creek | b(2010* Category 5A) | b (2010* Category 5A) | c (2010* Category 5A) | ||||
| Watsonville Creek | b (2010* Category 5A) | a, b (2010* Category 5A) | g, h (2010* Category 5A) | ||||
| Watsonville Slough | h (1996 Category 5A) | c (1996 Category 5B) | e, g (2008 Category 5A) | ||||
| Zayante Creek | c (2008 Category 5A) | b (2008 Category 5A) | i (2002 Category 5B) | ||||
- *Data were gathered from the 2010 Integrated Report, but they were not checked for being listed in previous reports.
- a) Chlordane
- b) Chloride
- c) Chlorpyrifos
- d) Diazinon
- e) DDD (Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane)
- f) Dieldrin
- g) PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls)
- h) Pesticides
- i) DDE
- a) Ammonia (Unionized)
- b) Nitrate
- c) Nutrients
- d) Priority Organics
- a) Escherichia coli (E.coli)
- b) Fecal Coliform
- c) Pathogens
- d) Total Coliform
- e) Enterococcus
- a) Sediment Toxicity
- b) Unknown Toxicity
- a) Chlorophyll-a
- b) Electrical Conductivity
- c) Sodium
- d) Temperature
- e) Turbidity
- f) TDS (Total Dissolved Solids)
- g) Low Dissolved Oxygen
- h) pH
- i) Sedimentation
- j) Cyanobacteria hepatotoxic microcystins
- k) Scum/Foam-unnatural
- a) Boron
- b) Copper
- c) Nickel
- d) Lead
- e) Zinc
- f) Metals (general)
- g) Mercury
- h) Malathion
Links
- Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)
- TMDLs in the Monterey Bay Region of California
- Monterey Bay Region
- Monterey Bay Area TMDL Listings - Priorities, Progress, and Documents
- Total Maximum Daily Loads for Chlorpyrifos and Diazinon in Lower Salinas River Watershed, Monterey County, California
- Total Maximum Daily Load for Nitrate in Lower Salinas River Watershed, Monterey County, California
- Total Maximum Daily Load for Nutrients in Lower Salinas River Watershed, Monterey County, California
Disclaimer
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.
