HomeMy WebLinkAboutPPP Item 9 Part 1 The Southern California Coastal
Water Research Project Authority
(SCCWRP)
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Stephen B. Weisberg
Executive Director
WHAT IS SCCWRP?
• Joint Powers Agency founded in 1969
• Our mission : Provide an unbiased scientific
foundation for water quality management in California
- We don't do policy
- We don't do regulation
- However, we judge success on whether our science is being used
by those who do policy and regulation
• Member organizations include city, county, state, and
federal agencies
- Unique combination of regulators and dischargers
MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS
Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts San Diego Regional Water Quality Board
City of Los Angeles Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Board
Orange County Sanitation District Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Board
City of San Diego State Water Resources Control Board
Ventura County Watershed Protection U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Division
California Ocean Protection Council
Los Angeles County Flood Control
District
Orange County Public Works
County of San Diego
COMMISSION
• Governing board that includes decision leaders from
each member agency
- Meets quarterly
• Unique interface between science and management
The real strength of the organization
INTERNAL STRUCTURE
• 43 full-time staff
- 22 of whom have a Ph.D.
• Six departments
- Biology
- Microbiology
- Chemistry
- Biogeochemistry
- Toxicology
- Information Management and Analysis
• 98% of our projects are conducted collaboratively
- We have published scientific papers with 177 different
institutions from 26 countries in the last four years
RESEARCH PRIORITIES
• Regional monitoring
- Provide big picture assessment of management success
- Achieve consistency in data collection methods
• Approaches/thresholds for interpreting monitoring data
• New measurement methods
- Better, faster, cheaper
- Present focus is on transitioning to molecular and real-time methods
• Emerging issues
- Investigate issues that are too speculative for inclusion in routine
discharge monitoring programs
ISSUES NOT PART OF TYPICAL DISCHARGER
MONITORING PROGRAMS
• Ocean acidification - '
• Marine debris - }
• Harmful algal blooms
• Emerging chemical contaminan s
• Contaminant effects of fires