All news related to Sediment Quality

Re-assessment of sediment contamination at Palos Verdes Superfund site completed

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9 has finalized an assessment of the state of sediment contamination along the Palos Verdes shelf – an effort that included participation by SCCWRP, […]

First phase completed in fish consumption survey at urban lakes in L.A. region

SCCWRP has completed the first phase of an ongoing study examining whether one or more urban lakes in the Los Angeles region should receive a regulatory designation known as a […]

Bight ’18 synthesis report for Sediment Quality studies updated with new SQO scores

The Southern California Bight 2018 Regional Monitoring Program has updated its final assessment report summarizing how sediment contamination in Southern California has impacted the overall health of coastal marine ecosystems […]

Bight program modernizing computational methods for bioassessment scoring tools

The Southern California Bight Regional Monitoring Program has launched an effort to modernize the computational methods used to score the biological health of organisms living in and on the sediment […]

Study reassesses sediment contamination at Palos Verdes Superfund site completed

SCCWRP has completed a follow-up study assessing the state of sediment contamination along the Palos Verdes shelf a decade after completing the Superfund site’s last ecological condition assessment. The study, […]

Fish consumption survey to inform L.A. Regional Board deliberations about potential new beneficial use designation for urban lakes

SCCWRP has launched a two-year study to inform deliberations by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board about whether one or more urban lakes in Los Angeles County should […]

Bight ’23 shellfish study to benefit 4 study elements

The 2023 cycle of the Southern California Bight Regional Monitoring Program has launched a year-long investigation to comprehensively track the accumulation of multiple different types of contaminants in shellfish – […]

Field sampling completed for Bight ’23 Sediment Quality element

The Southern California Bight 2023 Regional Monitoring Program has completed field sampling for its signature Sediment Quality study element – a coordinated, three-month field effort that lays the foundation for […]

Bight ’23 field sampling underway to evaluate sediment quality

The 2023 cycle of the Southern California Bight Regional Monitoring Program has kicked off field sampling of coastal seafloor sediment to evaluate the chemical, toxicological and biological health of Southern […]

State, federal agencies briefed for study examining sediment impacts from oil platform installations

SCCWRP has begun briefing multiple federal and State agencies about plans to evaluate sediment quality near offshore oil platforms in the Santa Barbara Channel – part of a three-year study […]

Effort launched to reassess sediment contamination at Palos Verdes Superfund site

SCCWRP has launched a follow-up study examining the state of sediment contamination along the Palos Verdes shelf a decade after completing the Superfund site’s last ecological condition assessment in 2012. […]

Technical foundation established for protecting sediment-dwellers in estuaries from organic matter

SCCWRP has developed a technical foundation for protecting sediment-dwelling organisms in California estuaries from the harmful effects of exposure to excess organic matter. The technical work product, described in an […]

Sediment contamination from oil platform installations to be studied for potential ecological impacts

SCCWRP has begun working to study piles of seafloor debris known as shell mounds that were created during installation of 26 offshore oil platforms in the Santa Barbara Channel decades […]

Bight ’18 publishes synthesis report summarizing Sediment Quality studies

The Southern California Bight 2018 Regional Monitoring Program (Bight ’18) has published its final assessment report summarizing how sediment contamination in Southern California has impacted the overall health of coastal […]

Tijuana River sediment fluxes estimated for effort to improve sediment management practices

SCCWRP and San Diego State University have successfully estimated the sediment fluxes being discharged from the Tijuana River at the U.S.-Mexico border to its coastal estuarine terminus – a key […]

Sediment quality study examines how to protect coastal estuaries from eutrophication

SCCWRP and its partners have completed a two-year sediment quality study examining how to protect bottom-dwelling aquatic life in coastal estuaries from excess organic matter triggered by eutrophication. The study, […]

Template established for how boat harbors could modify copper regulatory targets

SCCWRP and its partners have completed a three-year study that establishes a template for how Southern California boat harbors could pursue scientifically validated modifications to default regulatory targets for dissolved […]

Phase 2 sampling underway for study examining how to update copper concentration limits for streams

SCCWRP and its partners have begun collecting water quality data from three additional watersheds in the Los Angeles region as part of an ongoing effort to evaluate the feasibility of […]

Non-targeted analysis used to detect bioactive contaminants in Bight ’18 sediment

SCCWRP and its partners have completed screening sediment samples collected during the Southern California Bight 2018 Regional Monitoring Program for contaminants using non-targeted chemical analysis. The work, completed in December, […]

Bight ’18 finds local sportfish within ‘safe to eat’ thresholds

Contamination levels in the tissues of commonly caught Southern California sportfish were found to be within “safe to eat” thresholds for consumption at least once a week during the Southern […]

Two Bight ’18 Sediment Quality reports nearing completion

The Southern California Bight 2018 Regional Monitoring Program is preparing to publish the third volume of its Sediment Quality assessment reports by the end of the year, with a fourth […]

Initial round of bioanalytical screening completed for Bight ’18 sediment, fish samples

SCCWRP and its partners have completed screening Southern California Bight sediment and fish tissue samples for chemical contaminants that activate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor – the first of three bioanalytical […]

First Bight ’18 Sediment Quality assessment report published, three others nearing completion

The Southern California Bight 2018 Regional Monitoring Program has published the first of its Sediment Quality assessment reports, with three others expected to undergo internal review this summer. The Bight […]

Monitoring effort underway in study examining how to update copper loading limits for streams

SCCWRP has begun collecting water-quality monitoring data on copper levels in Los Angeles-area streams to support an ongoing study examining the feasibility of using a toxicity analysis method known as […]

Study offers insights into origins of contaminants found in San Diego Bay fish tissue

SCCWRP and its partners have completed a two-year study shedding light on what portion of the legacy contaminants found in fish tissue in San Diego Bay is coming from contaminated […]

Bight ’18 Sediment Quality element nearing completion on assessment reports

The Sediment Quality element of the Southern California Bight 2018 Regional Monitoring Program is scheduled to publish the first of its assessment reports this spring, with four other report volumes […]

Study examining how to use Biotic Ligand Model to update copper loading limits in freshwater systems

SCCWRP has launched a study examining the feasibility of using a toxicity modeling tool known as the Biotic Ligand Model (BLM) to update copper loading limits for freshwater systems across […]

Toxicity analysis underway for study revisiting copper TMDL in Marina del Rey Harbor

Researchers have begun analyzing toxicity data for a SCCWRP-led study examining whether existing regulatory targets for dissolved copper in Marina del Rey Harbor should be modified to more accurately reflect […]

Ecological health of areas near offshore oil platforms evaluated

SCCWRP and the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) have completed a two-year study examining the ecological health of the area surrounding offshore oil platforms in the Santa Barbara […]

New version of sediment quality assessment tool developed to streamline analyses

SCCWRP has developed a new, interactive web version of a web tool to assist environmental managers in assessing the human health impacts of contaminated sediment at a particular site. The […]

Review of data underway for Bight ’18 Sediment Quality element

The Bight ’18 Sediment Quality element is on track to finalize and publish its final assessment reports by spring 2020. The Sediment Quality element of the Southern California Bight 2018 […]

Passive samplers used to detect low levels of sediment-associated contaminants

SCCWRP and its partners have shown that passive sampling technology can be used to detect chemical contamination in San Diego Bay sediment, a key finding in an ongoing study exploring […]

Dynamic exposure lab built to replicate fluctuating environmental conditions

SCCWRP has constructed a state-of-the-art dynamic exposure laboratory to study how aquatic organisms respond to fluctuations in pH, dissolved oxygen and other environmental parameters in a controlled setting – a […]

EPA grants final approval to framework for assessing sediment’s impacts on humans

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has signed off on a standardized sediment assessment framework intended to better protect the health of humans who consume seafood caught in California’s enclosed bays […]

Film-based passive sampling for tracking cyanotoxins to be evaluated at L.A.-area lakes

SCCWRP and its partners have identified at least two Los Angeles-area lakes where a class of cyanotoxins known as microcystins appears to be present, paving the way for researchers to […]

Bight ’18 sediment, fish samples to be screened using bioanalytical assays

SCCWRP and its partners in June will begin screening sediment and sportfish tissue samples collected from across the Southern California Bight for bioactive chemical contaminants using bioanalytical screening assays. More […]

Advisory committee endorses workplan for study revisiting copper TMDL in Marina del Rey Harbor

A technical advisory committee has endorsed the draft workplan for a study that will examine whether existing regulatory targets for dissolved copper in Marina del Rey Harbor should be modified […]

Advisory committee to review workplan for study revisiting copper TMDL in Marina del Rey Harbor

A technical advisory committee in December is scheduled to review the draft workplan for a study examining whether existing regulatory targets for dissolved copper in Marina del Rey Harbor […]

Field sampling completed for study probing origins of sediment contaminants that bioaccumulate in fish

SCCWRP and its partners in October completed the second and final round of field sampling for a study investigating whether legacy contaminants found in the tissue of San Diego Bay […]

Round 1 field sampling completed for study probing origins of sediment contaminants that bioaccumulate in fish

SCCWRP and its partners have completed the first round of field sampling for a two-year study investigating whether legacy contaminants found in the tissue of San Diego Bay fish are […]

Framework approved to assess sediment’s impacts on humans

The State Water Board has approved a standardized sediment assessment framework intended to better protect the health of humans who consume seafood caught in California’s enclosed bays and estuaries, the […]

Bight ’18 field sampling underway to assess sediment quality

The sampling window for the Southern California Bight 2018 Regional Monitoring Program opened July 1, with participants starting to collect seafloor sediments to evaluate the chemical, toxicological and biological health […]

Bight ’18 keeps focus on key issues of management concern

More than 80 environmental agencies will examine new and emerging developments in water-quality science and management during the 2018 cycle of the Southern California Bight Regional Monitoring Program, which initiates […]

New study probes origins of legacy sediment contaminants that bioaccumulate in fish

SCCWRP and its partners have launched a two-year study to investigate whether legacy contaminants that occur in the tissue of fish in San Diego Bay are coming exclusively from contaminated […]

Study offers guidance for optimizing TIE study design

SCCWRP and its partners have completed a two-year study examining how to optimize the design of toxicity identification evaluation (TIE) studies to improve confidence in the results. The project, published […]

Study launched to revisit copper TMDL for Marina del Rey Harbor

SCCWRP has launched a two-year study examining whether existing regulatory targets for dissolved copper in Marina del Rey Harbor should be modified to more accurately reflect the ecological threat posed […]

Laboratory-based passive-sampling method used to measure sediment contamination

SCCWRP and its partners have successfully used prototype passive-sampling methods in a laboratory to measure the freely dissolved concentrations of organic contaminants in sediment. Unlike previous applications of passive-sampling technology […]

Draft framework unveiled for assessing human health impacts of contaminated sediment

SCCWRP and its partners have completed development of a standardized sediment assessment framework intended to better protect the health of humans who consume seafood caught in enclosed bays and estuaries […]

First phase of sediment TIE optimization study wraps up

SCCWRP has completed the first phase of a two-year project exploring how to optimize the design of toxicity identification evaluation (TIE) studies to improve confidence in the results. The project, […]

Passive sampling method for measuring sediment contaminants validated in laboratory

SCCWRP and its partners have completed the validation phase of a two-year study that aims to adapt commercially available passive sampling devices to measure the freely dissolved concentration of CECs […]

Human health assessment framework for embayment sediment quality being finalized

SCCWRP and its partners are wrapping up a final round of updates to a draft statewide assessment framework that evaluates how contaminated sediment affects the health of humans who consume […]

Marina del Rey Harbor study highlights need for improved tools to investigate cause of sediment toxicity

SCCWRP and its partners have completed a comprehensive investigation into the potential causes of degraded sediment quality in Marina del Rey Harbor, a study that has underscored the need for […]

San Diego Bay study examines fish consumption habits among local anglers

SCCWRP and its partners have completed a comprehensive, two-year study illuminating the fish consumption habits of San Diego Bay anglers who catch fish that could potentially be contaminated. The San […]

Marina del Rey Harbor study highlights need for improved tools to investigate cause of sediment toxicity

SCCWRP and its partners have completed a comprehensive investigation into the potential causes of degraded sediment quality in Marina del Rey Harbor, a study that has underscored the need for […]

San Diego Bay study examines fish consumption habits among local anglers

Human health assessment framework for embayment sediment quality being finalized

SCCWRP and its partners are wrapping up a final round of updates to a draft statewide assessment framework that evaluates how contaminated sediment affects the health of humans who consume […]

Bight ’13 CIA element publishes integrated summary reports

The integrated findings of the Contaminant Impact Assessment (CIA) element of Bight ’13 have been published in a final assessment report and an accompanying, 12-page executive summary intended for a […]

Sediment samples being analyzed to test CEC monitoring framework

SCCWRP and the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County have begun analyzing sediment samples collected from across two regions of California for a pilot study that will test-drive a new, […]

Promising passive sampling device developed to detect fipronil in receiving waters

SCCWRP and its partners have identified a promising, cost-effective passive sampling method for detecting the ubiquitous pesticide fipronil in receiving waters. The passive sampling method for this problematic, high-priority CEC […]

Marina del Rey stressor identification rules out possible causes of degraded sediment quality

SCCWRP and its partners have ruled out some potential causes of degraded sediment quality in Marina del Rey Harbor, part of an ongoing stressor identification study aimed at understanding why […]

Bioaccumulation study informs health risks from sediment

SCCWRP and its partners have completed a comprehensive investigation into how sediment contamination is transferred through Southern California marine food webs, a study that has enabled scientists to close key […]

Sediment toxicity database expanded to improve availability of high-quality data

SCCWRP, in association with the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), has completed a major expansion of a publicly accessible database designed to improve environmental managers’ access to high-quality […]

Marina del Rey stressor identification rules out possible causes of degraded sediment quality

SCCWRP and its partners have ruled out some potential causes of degraded sediment quality in Marina del Rey Harbor, part of an ongoing stressor identification study aimed at understanding why […]

SCCWRP completes data collection for fish consumption study

SCCWRP has completed a year-long effort to interview more than 1,600 San Diego Bay anglers about their fish consumption habits for a study that will ascertain whether local anglers and […]

San Diego Bay bioaccumulation study nearing completion

A three-year study that quantifies how sediment contamination in San Diego Bay is transferred through various levels of the marine food web has completed its first phase of data analysis […]

SCCWRP-developed sediment bioaccumulation model being tested in L.A./Long Beach Harbors

SCCWRP and the Harbor Technical Work Group, which is working to address a TMDL (total maximum daily load) in Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors, launched an effort in November […]

San Diego Bay bioaccumulation study working to quantify DDTs, PCBs

SCCWRP and its partners in December began analyzing and interpreting data collected from more than 300 San Diego Bay sediment and animal-tissue samples as part of a two-year study that […]

Draft study plan released for planned Marina del Rey copper bioavailability study

SCCWRP in January released a draft study plan for an upcoming Marina del Rey Harbor study that will seek to measure the influence of harbor water characteristics and environmental variations […]

Sediment stressor identification study launched in Marina del Rey

SCCWRP in late January kicked off a study that seeks to determine the cause of sediment toxicity and benthic community impairment in Marina del Rey Harbor. The study involves using […]

Massive 3-year sampling effort for San Diego Bay bioaccumulation study wraps up

Scientists have finished collecting and analyzing more than 260 animal samples from San Diego Bay in one of the most comprehensive Southern California investigations ever conducted into how contamination is transferred […]

Bight ’13 toxicity data suggest sediment quality is improving

Sediment toxicity testing conducted as part of the 2013 Southern California Bight Regional Monitoring Program has revealed evidence of continuing improvement to sediment quality, according to the findings of the […]

All news related to Sediment Quality

News related to