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Title	Delta Aquatic Resource Inventory
Lead	Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy
Description	The Delta Aquatic Resources Inventory of surface waters, wetlands and other aquatic resources in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) will provide a standard regional approach to wetland classification and mapping to support wetland restoration planning, tracking, and reporting. It will faciliate implementation of the California Wetland and Riparian Areas Monitoring Plan (WRAMP) in the Delta.
Science topics	Wetland mapping
Updated	November 17, 2022

Title	Delta Historical Ecology
Lead	San Francisco Estuary Institute [SFEI]
Description	The San Francisco Estuary Institute-Aquatic Science Center, in collaboration with the California Department of Fish and Game, completed a historical ecology study of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The project improves understanding of what the Delta looked like and how it functioned prior to the significant modification that has occurred over the last 160 years.
Science topics	Historical ecology, Landscape change
Updated	July 29, 2024

Title	Delta Landscapes Project
Lead	San Francisco Estuary Institute [SFEI]
Description	The Delta Landscapes Project has developed a body of work to inform landscape-scale restoration of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem. The project is built on knowledge, first published in 2012's Delta Historical Ecology Investigation, of how the Delta ecosystem functioned in the early 1800s (prior to the California Gold Rush and subsequent landscape-level changes).
Science topics	Fish, Landscape metrics, Marsh wildlife, Nature-based solutions, Restoration planning, Riparian wildlife, Terrestrial wildlife
Updated	January 29, 2026

Title	Delta Landscape Scenario Planning Tool
Lead	San Francisco Estuary Institute [SFEI]
Description	The Delta Landscapes Scenario Planning Tool is a set of resources to assist users with developing, analyzing, and evaluating different land use scenarios in the Delta. The tool is designed to inform ongoing and future restoration planning efforts by assessing how proposed projects will affect a suite of landscape metrics relating to desired ecosystem functions.
Science topics	Fish, Landscape metrics, Marsh wildlife, Nature-based solutions, Restoration planning, Riparian wildlife, Sea level rise, Terrestrial wildlife
Updated	January 29, 2026

Title	Habitat, hatcheries, and nonnative predators interact to affect juvenile salmon behavior and survival
Lead	University of California - Santa Cruz [UCSC]
Description	Chinook salmon are an iconic part of California's environment and heritage, and important both economically and culturally. In the Sacramento River, the winter-run Chinook population is endangered, and there is strong interest in restoring these populations. To do so, resource managers need to better understand the pressures on wild populations. Predation by nonnative predators affects survival of young salmon but may also affect the behavior of salmon. Changes to salmon behavior also have costs but are not currently considered in management. Managers need information on how predators affect juvenile salmon behavior, how they might vary under different conditions, and how they scale up to affect populations.
Science topics	Chinook Salmon, Fishing
Updated	November 12, 2025

Title	The Effect of Drought on Delta Smelt Vital Rates
Lead	University of California - Davis [UC Davis]
Description	This Project is necessary to obtain a better understanding of the effects of drought and management's response to drought on the Delta Smelt in order to avoid extinction. This study will test predication from other models to evaluate the impact of drought and management measures on Delta Smelt responses in terms of growth, phenotype diversity and survival during the spring and summer, when drought impacts are greatest.
Science topics	Delta Smelt, Drought
Updated	November 18, 2022

Title	Identify environmental drivers influencing habitat attributes and effect on salmonids survival.
Lead	State Water Contractors [SWC]
Description
Science topics	None specified
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	How Abiotic Processes, Biotic Processes, and Their Interactions Sustain Habiata Charactersitics and Functions in River Channels and Their Floodplains: An Investigation of How a Reach of the Merced River Responds to Restoration
Lead	University of California - Santa Barbara [UCSB]
Description	The purpose of this project is to determine how river restoration affects the abundance and distribution of salmonid and non-salmonid fishes at critical life stages. The proposal involves field survey of hydraulics, sedimentation processes, channel changes, habitat conditions, invertebrate and fish communities and their interactions.
Science topics	None specified
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Climate change impacts to San Francisco Bay-Delta wetlands: Links to pelagic food webs and predictive responses based on landscape modeling
Lead	San Francisco State University [SFSU]
Description	The purpose of this project is to 1) evaluate the potential impacts of climate change on SF Bay-Delta tidal wetlands, 2) improve our understanding of the linkage between these wetlands and the pelagic food web, especially fish populations, and 3) use this information to make predictions about potential effects of climate change on Bay-Delta fish populations.
Science topics	Pelagic fish, Wetlands
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	The Transport and Dispersion of Rafting Vegetation in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
Lead	University of California - Berkeley [UC Berkeley]
Description	The research we are proposing here is focused on developing a thorough, mechanistic understanding of how rafting vegetation, such as hyacinths or egeria, is transported in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Our approach is to examine in detail the forces that act on rafts of vegetation, and the resulting raft accelerations, to establish a predictive model of raft pathlines. Our model development will be built around a series of field experiments that include measurements of raft movement using GPS-logging drifters integrated into rafts, tidal and wind-forcing using a boat mounted current profiler and an anemometer, and direct estimation of the water-induced shear stress using a point velocity meter incorporated into the actual rafts. These field observations will be used to critically evaluate a numerical model of both channel (tidal) flows and resulting raft movement. Our initial development will include a highly-resolved channel flow model, which will explicitly capture more lateral variability, including low velocity side "pockets", than is typically resolved with Delta scale hydrodynamic models. Initially, this will allow us to carefully evaluate the quality of our raft tracking calculations. Once the approach is established to be accurate, however, these high-resolution flows will be used to numerically calculate the effective advection and dispersion of rafts in the Delta channel under consideration. This analysis will be focused on parameterizing the effects on raft transport of structures and processes that are unresolved in typical Delta hydrodynamics models. An example of a process that is likely to be important to parameterize is the trapping and retention of rafts along the perimeter of channels due to off-axis wind forcing, and the resulting along-channel dispersion of rafts. In order to examine the effective advection and dispersion of rafts in Delta channels, we propose to pursue this combination of field and numerical studies of raft transport in locations of increasing complexity: first in idealized, straight channels, then in a natural, sinuous channel and a channel junction, and finally throughout the entire Delta. Our research is strongly motivated by the desire to provide a predictive model of dispersion in the Delta for floating objects that respond to both wind and tidal forcing. Immediate applications involve the movement of hyacinth rafts and egeria to evaluate potential management strategies. Important future applications are likely to include consideration of other biological invasions, due to the potential for rafts to provide a transport pathway, and analysis of the movement of accidental or intentional releases of floating material in the Delta.
Science topics	None specified
Updated	November 12, 2025

Title	A Non-Point Source of Contaminants to the Estuarine Food Web: Mobilized Particles from the Intertidal Zone
Lead	California State University [CSU]
Description	The purpose of this research project is to quantify the process of contaminant concentration and resuspension of shallow and intertidal cohesive sediments at sites along the salinity gradient from Prospect Island to San Pablo Bay. This research is important because it helps to understand the pathways by which contaminants are assimilated, which is essential to appropriately manage habitat areas.
Science topics	None specified
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	A Statistical Model of Central Valley Chinook Incorporating Uncertainty
Lead	R2 Resource Consultants Inc.
Description	The purpose of this project is to develop a statistical modeling approach to the two Central Valley Chinook Salmon species that incorporates mortality in all phases of salmon life history, and includes the effects of uncertainty in assessing population status, guiding future research, and making management decisions.
Science topics	Chinook Salmon
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Quantifying Factors Affecting Migration Routing and Survival of Juvenile Late-Fall Chinook Salmon in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta
Lead	U.S. Geological Survey [USGS]
Description	Juvenile Chinook salmon emigrating from natal tributaries of the Sacramento River must negotiate the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta where they disperse among the Delta's complex channel network. Natural processes and water management actions affect the fraction of the population using different migration routes through the Delta and survival within those routes, but quantifying these relationships has proven difficult. Since 2006, acoustic telemetry techniques have been used to quantify both movement among migration routes and survival within routes, providing the first insights into how route-specific survival contributes to population-level survival in the Delta. In this project, we propose to use existing acoustic telemetry data from multiple sources to 1) Quantify factors affecting migration routing of juvenile salmon emigrating from the Sacramento River, 2) Quantify factors affecting survival of juvenile salmon within specific migration routes, and 3) Simulate population-level survival through the Delta under a limited number of historical and operational scenarios. Collating telemetry data from multiple sources over numerous years offers a unique opportunity to identify important relationships that might otherwise be difficult to detect for any particular study in a given year. Quantifying such relationships is critical to informing resource management that seeks to balance use of water resources with recovery of endangered salmon populations.
Science topics	Chinook Salmon
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Impact of Urbanization on Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, and Their Prey: a Case Study of the American River
Lead	University of California - Berkeley [UC Berkeley]
Description	The American River provides spawning/rearing habitat for Chinook salmon and steelhead, yet passes through 30 miles of dense urban development. Urban runoff contains pyrethroid insecticides that cause the river to become toxic to standard testing species with every storm event. This study will go beyond observed toxicity, and address toxicity to chironomids, caddisflies, and mayflies, key diet components of juvenile fish in the river. A bioenergetic model will be used to evaluate effects of food web changes on young salmonids. Our key approach is the use of river-side systems with flowing river water that allow us to replicate realistic pesticide exposures, while controlling other variables. We will determine sensitivity to pyrethroids and fipronil of salmonid prey taxa, and expose them, as well as standard testing species, in the flow-through systems through six storm events. We will maintain experimental streams containing riverine benthic invertebrate communities, and measure response to the pyrethroid pulses. To supplement analyses of the indirect, food web-mediated effects, we will measure endocrine effects through vitellogenin induction in salmon and steelhead. Finally, one treatment includes river water from which organic contaminants have been removed by activated charcoal, to help establish cause of toxicity. The goal is to determine if known toxicity in the American River is a threat to benthic invertebrates and, through the food web, to salmon and steelhead.
Science topics	Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Above highwater refugia, Other discharge contaminants, Food webs
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Habitat Values of Native SAV [Submerged Aquatic Vegetation] in the Low Salinity Zone of San Francisco Estuary
Lead	San Francisco State University [SFSU]
Description	We will investigate the importance of native submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in providing food web support for native fish species in the low salinity zone of the San Francisco Bay-Delta. These SAV beds, composed primarily of Stuckenia pectinata (sago pondweed), are an extensive feature along many of the islands in Suisun Bay and the west Delta, yet almost nothing is known of their seasonal or interannual patterns, their invertebrate communities, or how their physical structure or food resources influence use by native fishes. We hypothesize that the position of these beds in the shallow subtidal zone along the islands increases habitat options adjacent to wetlands and channels for numerous fish species, including species of concern such as delta smelt and chinook salmon. The objectives of this project are to: 1) characterize patterns in habitat structure, community composition, and productivity of SAV beds in four locations in Suisun Bay and the western Delta over a three year period (with comparisons to non-native Egeria densa beds), 2) document the epifaunal invertebrate community composition and abundance in the Stuckenia beds, 3) assess fish use of these beds through seining and acoustic monitoring of hatchery-tagged fish, 4) utilize stable isotope analyses to evaluate food web relationships within and among the beds, and 5) begin preliminary evaluation of the potential to restore native SAV to subsided lands in this region.
Science topics	Chinook Salmon, Green sturgeon, White Sturgeon, Sacramento Splittail, Delta Smelt, Steelhead Trout
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Physiological Mechanisms of Environmental tolerance in Delta Smelt [Hypomesus transpacificus]: From Molecules to Adverse Outcomes
Lead	University of California - Davis [UC Davis]
Description	The proposed project directly addresses priority research detailed by the Delta Science Program to protect native fishes that depend on the Bay-Delta system focusing on adaptations to local habitats and physiological tolerances to key environmental stressors;in delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus). Temperature and salinity changes associated with anthropogenic climate change are likely to further exacerbate delta smelt population declines. We hypothesize that delta smelt tolerance to forecasted temperature rises and salinity intrusions into the Bay-Delta system can be assessed at a mechanistic level, and that acclimation thresholds can be established by means of genomic responses. This proposal builds upon successful development of a cDNA microarray for delta smelt containing approximately 2000 individual gene fragments, and the subsequent application of biomarkers for assessing the effects of chemical stressors on larval development with links to swimming behavior. We propose to develop a Next Generation oligonucleotide microarray in delta smelt, with ca. 15K genes, in order to assess mechanistic tolerance to changes in gemperature and salinity. Genomic studies will be conducted integrating effects on energetic activity and swimming performance studies, in an interdisciplinary approach that will permit the establishment of links between tolerance mechanisms and adverse outcomes.
Science topics	Delta Smelt, Water temperature, Salinity, Turbidity
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Integrating Ecosystems, Flood Control, Agriculture, and Water Supply Benefits: An Application to the Yolo Bypass
Lead	University of California - Davis [UC Davis]
Description	The Yolo Bypass presents an opportunity to develop mechanisms governing the management of flows across floodplains that balance ecosystem services with economic and recreational functions, and to study the untapped potential of such floodplains to play a role in conjunctive surface and groundwater management. Analysis to the necessary high degree of spatial resolution for such management decisions is generally lacking for the Yolo Bypass. This proposal seeks funding for an interdisciplinary study to better understand the economic, hydrologic, and ecological functioning of land and water across the bypass, and to develop tools that use this knowledge in identifying promising strategies for the timing and configuration of spring inundation. Agronomic, economic, and hydraulic models will be used with formal interviews to study the relationship between flooding and six Yolo Bypass functions: (1) Agricultural Economics, (2) Waterfowl management, (3) Native Fish habitat, (4) Flood Control, (5) Groundwater storage, and (6) Recreation. Data from these first efforts will be incorporated into an optimization model that identifies promising inundation alternatives for ecosystem services which minimize costs to landowners and waterfowl managers, and maximize potential conjunctive use benefits. This synthesis answers the Delta Science Program's request for coupled hydrologic and ecosystem models, and for water and ecosystem management decision support system development.
Science topics	None specified
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	CASCaDE II: Computational Asessments of Scenarios of Change for the Delta Ecosystem
Lead	U.S. Geological Survey [USGS]
Description	This proposal builds upon an existing model-based effort to develop a holistic view of the Bay-Delta-River-Watershed system. CASCaDE I developed a set of linked models to assess Delta ecosystem response to climate change. In CASCaDE II, we propose to refine and extend those modeling capabilities to assess Delta ecosystem response to changes in climate and physical configuration. With a new state-of-the-art hydrodynamic and sediment model at its core, CASCaDE II will link models of climate, hydrology, hydrodynamics, sediment, geomorphology, phytoplankton, bivalves, contaminants, marsh accretion, and fish. Our goals are to apply these linked models to 1) better understand Delta ecosystem function, 2) assess possible futures of the Delta under scenarios of climate and structural change, and 3) provide science-based information to support the DSC in its co-equal goals of water supply and ecosystem protection. The tools developed will provide an objective basis for anticipating and diagnosing Delta ecosystem responses to planned and unplanned changes. Experiments using the linked models are designed to address questions such as: How will climate change, together with new conveyance structures or increased flooded island habitat, alter water flow and drinking water quality? With projected changes in residence time, turbidity, temperature, and salinity, how will primary productivity, invasive bivalves, marsh processes, contaminant dynamics, and fish populations respond?
Science topics	None specified
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Quantifying the contribution of tidal flow variations to survival of juvenile Chinook salmon
Lead	U.S. Geological Survey [USGS]
Description	The purpose of this project is to quantify how tides in the Delta influence survival of juvenile salmon. Juvenile salmon survival increases when there is more flow and the river is less tidally influenced. We hypothesize that the increase in survival is because of reduced travel times causing less exposure to predators. This project will test this hypothesis using multiple models including ones that can predict how management actions that modify tidal patterns affect juvenile salmon survival.
Science topics	Chinook Salmon, Salmon migration, Surface water flow, Tides, Water management
Updated	June 17, 2024

Title	CASCaDE: Computational Asessments of Scenarios of Change for the Delta Ecosystem
Lead	U.S. Geological Survey [USGS]
Description	Agencies of the CALFED Bay-Delta Authority (CBDA) face tough decisions as they search for strategies to meet their programmatic goals of stabilizing water supplies in California, providing safe drinking water to a growing population, and sustaining diverse populations of native species and their supporting ecosystem functions. The challenge of finding balanced solutions to these goals is daunting because of the enormous complexity of the San Francisco Bay-Delta system and its tributary rivers and their watersheds. The challenge grows as we consider the additional layer of complexity imposed by the certainty that all the key forces that drive dynamics of this ecosystem (climate, hydrology, water management, land use, sea level) will change significantly in future decades. This proposal describes a model-based approach for developing a long view of the Bay-Delta-River-Watershed system. The long view will be developed through simulations with linked models to project changes under a range of plausible scenarios of global warming, hydrologic responses, land-use change, reconfigurations of within-Delta habitats, and sea level rise. Our goals are to develop and apply a model-based approach of ecological forecasting to project future states of the Delta ecosystem under prescribed scenarios of change, and to communicate the outcomes of those scenarios to resource managers facing the daunting challenge of meeting CBDP goals in a continually changing world.
Science topics	None specified
Updated	November 18, 2022

Title	North Delta Flow Action: Role of Improved Yolo Bypass Flows on Delta Food Web Dynamics
Lead	California Department of Water Resource [DWR]
Description	Description In a collaborative effort between CA Department of Water Resources, US Bureau of Reclamation, CA Department of Fish and Wildlife, United States Geological Survey, San Francisco State University, and UC Davis, this study will investigate the role of augmented summer and fall flows in the Yolo Bypass and North Delta areas on lower trophic food web dynamics and the benefits to listed fish species. Using both continuous and discrete sampling approaches, this study will relate hydrologic patterns to chlorophyll-a, nutrients and primary productivity, plankton densities and composition (phytoplankton and zooplankton), contaminant concentrations, as well as water quality parameters such as electrical conductivity, turbidity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen. In addition, caged hatchery Delta Smelt will be monitored to determine the effects of the managed flow action and increased food web productivity on fish survival, growth, and behavior. Need Due to the food-limited nature of the San Francisco Estuary, it is critical to understand mechanisms that result in successful food web productivity including phytoplankton blooms. Food limitation is one of the primary hypothesized causes of the Pelagic Organism Decline. In 2011 and 2012 there was evidence that a moderate Yolo Bypass flow pulse during fall agricultural drainage periods was followed by phytoplankton blooms in the lower Sacramento River. Managed flow actions in the following years showed an increase in food web productivity could be repeated; however, results varied across years and flow actions indicating more research is warranted to understand correlations between flow and abiotic conditions, and the biological response of the food web. The increases of summer/fall flows in North Delta, has been considered a management strategy as part of complying with USFWS Delta Smelt Biological Opinion Action 4. The augmentation of flows through the Yolo Bypass/North Delta is also included as one of several Delta Smelt Resiliency Strategies by Natural Resources Agency. Objectives: Determine if managed flow actions through the Yolo Bypass stimulate increased primary productivity locally and downstream, and if it is repeatable. Characterize how nutrients, chlorophyll and plankton (composition and density) in the Toe Drain, Cache Slough Complex, and lower Sacramento River change in response to flow pulses. Determine if nutrient subsidies of the source water and downstream are limited by abiotic and biotic factors. Characterize spatial differences and transport of pesticide contaminants in the Yolo Bypass in response to the flow actions. Determine survival, growth and behavior of caged hatchery Delta Smelt before and after the flow action in the Yolo Bypass.
Science topics	Flows, Water management
Updated	November 12, 2025

Title	Effect of Outflow Alteration upon Delta Smelt Habitat, Condition and Survival
Lead	U.S. Bureau of Reclamation [USBR]
Description	Description The Directed Outflow Project (DOP) is a continuing collaborative effort among a dozen state, federal and non-governmental groups. The DOP will employ a focused spatial and temporal approach to evaluate mechanistic hypotheses directly related to the rationales provided for the summer Delta outflow action and Yolo Bypass Toe Drain action to benefit Delta Smelt, with direct relevance to the fall outflow action. Paired data collections (same location and time) of abiotic and biotic habitat constituents to test specific hypotheses will assist in avoiding prior shortcomings of using data collected for different studies/hypotheses and/or across variable spatial/temporal scales (as discussed in MAST [2015] and elsewhere). Sampling will occur during the Delta Smelt juvenile rearing-stage, a period known to be associated with the location of the low salinity zone (LSZ). Results should strengthen our understanding of the mechanisms and drivers impacting Delta Smelt vital rates and associated habitat features with a focus on outflow conditions. Results should assist in evaluating the benefit and feasibility of future flow augmentation actions for managers and decision makers. Results from this and other related studies will inform evaluations on which particular outflow-related action or group of actions provides the most benefit for Delta Smelt. Need Requests and plans for water management actions related to augmentation of Delta outflow have proceeded and are expected to proceed in the future. However, there is uncertainty and disagreement regarding the mechanistic relationship of Delta outflow during the rearing period to Delta Smelt vital rates and habitat, and the hypothesized benefit of outflow alteration for Delta Smelt. Delta outflow has experienced reductions in recent years, coinciding with the collapse of the Delta Smelt. Reduced outflow has been linked to reductions in habitat suitability in Suisun Bay and Marsh and movement of the LSZ to the Confluence of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River where little connection to shallow open water habitats exists. Objectives The DOP’s main objective will be to evaluate the hypothesized benefit of outflow alteration for Delta Smelt and its habitat in coordination with all stakeholder groups. The following process and product related sub-objectives will facilitate progression toward this evaluation objective. • Test mechanistic hypotheses addressing the rationale behind outflow-based actions to benefit Delta Smelt. • Concurrently sample fish and measure abiotic/biotic habitat conditions at each randomly selected location along the salinity and habitat gradient of the north to western Delta along the Sacramento River during the summer and fall.
Science topics	Delta Smelt
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Environmental Monitoring Program: Continuous Water Quality Monitoring
Lead	California Department of Water Resource [DWR]
Description	DWR has conducted water quality monitoring for the California State Water Project since 1968. This program is currently managed by the Division of Operations and Maintenance, Environmental Assessment Branch. Initially, this program sought to monitor eutrophication (an increase in chemical nutrients) and salinity in the SWP. Over time, the water quality program expanded to include parameters of concern for drinking water, recreation, and wildlife. DWR's Division of Operations and Maintenance (O&M) currently maintains 16 continuous water quality monitoring stations located throughout the State Water Project. Data from these automated stations are uploaded to theÂ California Data Exchange Center (CDEC) website. Hourly to daily conductivity, temperature, turbidity, pH, fluorometry, UVA-254 absorption
Science topics	Air temperature, Algae, Chemistry, Chlorophyll A B, Conductivity, Cyanobacteria, Dissolved oxygen, Drought, Environmental drivers, Estuaries, Harmful algal blooms HAB, Nitrogen, Nutrients, pH, Phytoplankton, Primary production, Salinity, Surface water flow, Temperature, Tides, Turbidity, Water, Water conveyance and infrastructure, Water management, Water temperature
Updated	May 21, 2024

Title	San Francisco Bay Joint Venture
Lead	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS]
Description	The San Francisco Bay Joint Venture (SFBJV) brings together over one hundred environmental organizations, governmental agencies, landowners, and the business community to achieve a common goal and vision: protect, restore and enhance wetlands throughout the nine Bay Area counties, for the benefit of wildlife and people. The San Francisco Bay Joint Venture (SFBJV) is one of twenty-two habitat-based Migratory Bird Joint Ventures (JV) that cover nearly all of the U.S. and Canada and much of Mexico. The SFBJV coordinates strategic habitat conservation throughout the nine San Francisco (SF) Bay Area counties in accordance with the SFBJV Implementation Plan. SFBJV partners work to protect, restore and enhance habitats through project implementation and by advancing related science, policy and communication priorities. The Joint Venture program provides opportunities to develop and deliver creative solutions to our current conservation challenges through the power of collaboration and partnership. The SFBJV is funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and grants from other partners and programs.
Science topics	Hunting, Agriculture, Urban development, Recreation and tourism, Surface water flow, Flood, Mudflats, Intertidal and transition zones, Above highwater refugia, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Floating aquatic vegetation, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds, Riparian wildlife, Delta islands, Pacific flyway, Waterfowl, Shorebirds, Gulls, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Habitat, Non resident and overwintering birds
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Delta Regional Monitoring Program
Lead	San Francisco Estuary Institute [SFEI]
Description	The Delta Regional Monitoring Program (RMP) is a stakeholder-directed project formed to develop water quality data necessary for improving our understanding of Delta water quality issues.
Science topics	Hg and methyl mercury, Insecticides, Rodenticides, Herbicides, Fungicides, Main channels, Sloughs, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Green sturgeon, White Sturgeon, Striped bass, Fish
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Pacific Flyway Shorebird Survey
Lead	Point Blue Conservation Science
Description	PFSS is a coordinated multi-partner monitoring program led by Point Blue Conservation Science designed to guide the management and conservation of wintering shorebirds in the Pacific Flyway. The PFSS contributes data to the Migratory Shorebird Project, the largest coordinated survey of wintering shorebirds on the Pacific Coast of the Americas spanning 10 countries from Canada to Peru.
Science topics	Hunting, Flood, Mudflats, Intertidal and transition zones, Above highwater refugia, Sloughs, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Floating aquatic vegetation, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds, Riparian wildlife, Forests, Non forested vegetation, Delta islands, Pacific flyway, Shorebirds, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Habitat, Non resident and overwintering birds
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	The Heron and Egret Project
Lead	Audubon Canyon Ranch
Description	Our current work focuses on the effects of climate change and human disturbance to heronries.
Science topics	Intertidal and transition zones, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds, Riparian wildlife, Forests, Waterfowl, Shorebirds, Saltwater and freshwater marshes
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Audubon Christmas Bird Count [CBC]
Lead	National Audubon Society
Description	Each November, birders interesting in participating in the CBC can sign up and join in through the Audubon website. From December 14 through January 5 each year tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas brave snow, wind, or rain, and take part in the effort.
Science topics	Mudflats, Intertidal and transition zones, Above highwater refugia, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds, Riparian wildlife, Forests, Non forested vegetation, Delta islands, Pacific flyway, Waterfowl, Shorebirds, Gulls, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Habitat, Non resident and overwintering birds
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	California Partners In Flight [CalPIF]
Lead	Point Blue Conservation Science
Description	The CalPIF mission is to promote the conservation of resident and migratory landbirds and their habitats in California through research, monitoring, education, and collaboration among public and private landowners and managers, government agencies, non-government organizations, and individuals and other bird conservation efforts. The California chapter of Partners in Flight (CalPIF) was established in 1992. The California Partners in Flight program has completed eight habitat and bioregion based Bird Conservation Plans (BCP's) for Riparian, Oak Woodlands, Coastal Scrub and Chaparral, Grasslands, Coniferous Forests, Sagebrush, Desert, and the Sierra Nevada Bioregion. These BCPs are for every land manager and researcher interested in improving habitat for landbirds. These plans are dynamic documents that will follow a continous process of developing and updating conservation recommendations for California's habitats based on the latest scientific monitoring and research data.
Science topics	Mudflats, Intertidal and transition zones, Above highwater refugia, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds, Riparian wildlife, Forests, Non forested vegetation, Delta islands, Pacific flyway, Waterfowl, Shorebirds, Gulls, Non resident and overwintering birds
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	North American Breeding Bird Survey [BBS]
Lead	U.S. Geological Survey [USGS]
Description	The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is the primary source for critical quantitative data to evaluate the status of continental bird species, keeping common birds common and helping fuel a $75 billion wildlife watching industry.
Science topics	Mudflats, Intertidal and transition zones, Above highwater refugia, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds, Riparian wildlife, Forests, Non forested vegetation, Delta islands, Pacific flyway, Waterfowl, Shorebirds, Gulls, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Habitat, Birds, Non resident and overwintering birds
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship
Lead	The Institute for Bird Populations
Description	The MAPS Program is a continent-wide collaborative effort among public agencies, non-governmental groups, and individuals to assist the conservation of birds and their habitats through demographic monitoring. Since 1989, more than 1,200 MAPS stations spread across nearly every state and Canadian province have collected more than 2 million bird capture records.
Science topics	Mudflats, Intertidal and transition zones, Above highwater refugia, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds, Riparian wildlife, Forests, Non forested vegetation, Delta islands, Pacific flyway, Waterfowl, Shorebirds, Gulls, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Habitat, Birds, Non resident and overwintering birds
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Central Valley Project - Reservoir Monitoring
Lead	U.S. Bureau of Reclamation [USBR]
Description	The Central Valley Project (USBR) is responsible for maintaining and monitoring water levels in several key reservoirs in California. The reservoirs of focus (largest capacity) within the CVP are Folsom, Whiskeytown, Shasta, Trinity, San Luis, and Millerton. San Luis is jointly monitored by USBR and DWR. Reservoir storage, elevation, inflow, and outflow are monitored daily, with some parameters at certain reservoirs being monitored hourly or monthly, and reported to the California Data Exchange Center (CDEC) for public access.
Science topics	Water storage, Water conveyance and infrastructure, Surface water flow, Stage, Flood, Precipitation, Main channels, Water use and demand, Evaporation and evapotranspiration
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	State Water Project - Reservoir Monitoring
Lead	California Department of Water Resource [DWR]
Description	The State Water Project (DWR) is responsible for maintaining and monitoring water levels in several key reservoirs in California. The reservoirs of focus (largest capacity) within the CVP are Oroville, San Luis, Pyramid, Perris, and Castaic. San Luis is jointly monitored by USBR and DWR. Reservoir storage, elevation, inflow, and outflow are monitored daily, with some parameters at certain reservoirs being monitored hourly or monthly, and reported to the California Data Exchange Center (CDEC) for public access.
Science topics	Water storage, Surface water flow, Stage, Flood, Main channels
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	eBird
Lead	Cornell University - Lab of Ornithology
Description	eBird is the world's largest biodiversity-related citizen science project, with more than 100 million bird sightings contributed each year by eBirders around the world. A collaborative enterprise with hundreds of partner organizations, thousands of regional experts, and hundreds of thousands of users, eBird is managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Science topics	Mudflats, Intertidal and transition zones, Above highwater refugia, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds, Riparian wildlife, Forests, Non forested vegetation, Delta islands, Pacific flyway, Waterfowl, Shorebirds, Gulls, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Habitat, Birds, Non resident and overwintering birds
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Discrete dissolved oxygen monitoring in the Stockton Deep Water Ship Channel
Lead	California Department of Water Resource [DWR]
Description	Dissolved oxygen levels in the Stockton Deep Water Ship Chanel (SDWSC) have been monitored since 1968 by the Interagency Ecological Program's (IEP) Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP). The SDWSC is located on the San Joaquin River near Stockton, California. Beginning in 1997, 14 stations were routinely monitored typically in summer and fall. Dissolved oxygen impairment can occur in the SDWSC;therefore, two water quality objectives were established.
Science topics	Chlorophyll A B, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Turbidity, Main channels, Conductivity
Updated	May 20, 2024

Title	Phytoplankton and Chlorophyll-a Monitoring
Lead	California Department of Water Resource [DWR]
Description	The California DWR Phytoplankton and Chlorophyll-a monitoring measures the composition (what kinds?), abundance (how many?), diversity (how many kinds?), and distribution (where are they?) of phytoplankton. It also measures phytoplankton biomass as chlorophyll-a;both types of monitoring are performed as part of the IEPâ€™s Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP).
Science topics	Chlorophyll A B, Phytoplankton, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Main channels, Conductivity
Updated	May 20, 2024

Title	Aquatic Invasive Species Programs
Lead	California Department of Parks and Recreation [PARKS]
Description	The Aquatic Weed Control Program includes both floating and submersed aquatic vegetation. DBW uses an Integrated Pest Management strategy with the following components: - Public information and education - Prevention - Pre-established action levels for chemical, biological and physical control - Environmental monitoring Since submersed and floating aquatic vegetation are well established in the Sacramento- San Joaquin Delta, eradication may not be feasible, while controlling invasive growth is likely to lessen negative economic and biological impacts.
Science topics	Salinity, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Turbidity, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Floating aquatic vegetation, Water hyacinth, Brazilian waterweed, Spongeplant, Conductivity, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Other species
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	State Water Project
Lead	California Department of Water Resource [DWR]
Description	The California State Water Project (SWP) is a water storage and delivery system of reservoirs, aqueducts, power plants and pumping plants extending more than 700 miles - two-thirds the length of California. Planned, constructed, and operated by the Department of Water Resources, the SWP is the nation's largest state-built, multi-purpose, user-financed water project. It supplies water to more than 27 million people in northern California, the Bay Area, the San Joaquin Valley, the Central Coast and southern California. SWP water also irrigates about 750,000 acres of farmland, mainly in the San Joaquin Valley.
Science topics	Water operations and exports, Water storage, Water conveyance and infrastructure, Surface water flow, Stage, Main channels, Habitat
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Pesticide Use Reporting
Lead	California Department of Pesticide Regulation [DPR]
Description	California's pesticide use reporting program is recognized as the most comprehensive in the world. In 1990, California became the first state to require full reporting of agricultural pesticide use in response to demands for more realistic and comprehensive pesticide use data. Under the program, all agricultural pesticide use must be reported monthly to county agricultural commissioners, who in turn, report the data to DPR. California has a broad legal definition of "agricultural use" so the reporting requirements include pesticide applications to parks, golf courses, cemeteries, rangeland, pastures, and along roadside and railroad rights-of-way. In addition, all postharvest pesticide treatments of agricultural commodities must be reported along with all pesticide treatments in poultry and fish production as well as some livestock applications. The primary exceptions to the reporting requirements are home-and-garden use and most industrial and institutional uses.
Science topics	Agriculture, Insecticides, Rodenticides, Herbicides, Fungicides, Non forested vegetation, Environmental drivers
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	San Francisco Bay Bathymetry
Lead	U.S. Geological Survey [USGS]
Description	USGS has conducted bathymetric analyses in San Francisco Bay, Suisun Bay, and the Delta intermittently since 1867 based on bathymetry data primarily collected by NOAA"s National Ocean Service (NOS) (formerly the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (USCGS)). Since the days of hydraulic gold mining, sedimentation in San Francisco Bay has changed drastically. From the 1850's until at least the late 1800's, debris from hydraulic mining in the Sierra Nevada filled the Bay. As hydraulic mining practices ceased, the amount of sediment deposited decreased. In the latter half of the 20th century an increase in the implementation of flood control and water distribution projects in the Central Valley caused the Bay to be erosional due to the reduction of the frequency and duration of peak flow conditions, which in turn decreased sediment supply to the Bay. They have used this information to locate deposits of sediment-associated contaminants, restore wetland areas, and to provide the observable linkage between anthropogenic modifications of the landscapeâ€”such as evolving land use practices, flood control, and water diversionsâ€”and natural forces of climate-driven river flow, sea level change, tides, and wind. In 1999, USGS assessed how sedimentation in the Suisun Bay has changed between 1867 and 1990 (see info sources). They have also worked collaboratively with DWR, using their more recent bathymetry data to produce a high-resolution DEM of the Delta region (see info sources). It is not clear whether USGS will continue their bathymetry surveys. The latest survey is from 2005, and took place in the South of San Francisco Bay (outside the Delta study area).
Science topics	Flood, Land elevation, Bedload, Deposition, Erosion, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	California Fish Passage Assessment Database [PAD]
Lead	Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission [PSMFC]
Description	The Passage Assessment Database (PAD) is an ongoing map-based inventory of known and potential barriers to anadromous fish in California, compiled and maintained through a cooperative interagency agreement. The PAD compiles currently available fish passage information from many different sources, allows past and future barrier assessments to be standardized and stored in one place, and enables the analysis of cumulative effects of passage barriers in the context of overall watershed health. The database is set up to capture basic information about each potential barrier. It is designed to be flexible. As the database grows, other modules may be added to increase data detail and complexity.
Science topics	Water operations and exports, Water storage, Water conveyance and infrastructure, Main channels, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Water intakes and fish screens and passage
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	California Natural Diversity Database [CNDDB]
Lead	California Department of Fish and Wildlife [CDFW]
Description	The California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) is an inventory of the status and locations of rare plants and animals in California. CNDDB staff work with partners to maintain current lists of rare species, as well as to maintain an ever-growing database of GIS-mapped locations for these species. The CNDDB is a "natural heritage program" and is part of a nationwide network of similar programs overseen by NatureServe (formerly part of The Nature Conservancy). All natural heritage programs provide location and natural history information on special status plants, animals, and natural communities to the public, other agencies, and conservation organizations. The data help drive conservation decisions, aid in the environmental review of projects and land use changes, and provide baseline data helpful in recovering endangered species and for research projects.
Science topics	Mudflats, Intertidal and transition zones, Above highwater refugia, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Floating aquatic vegetation, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds, Riparian wildlife, Forests, Non forested vegetation, Delta islands, Pacific flyway, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Green sturgeon, White Sturgeon, Delta Smelt, Longfin Smelt, Sacramento Splittail, Pelagic fish, Benthos, Salt marsh harvest mouse, Waterfowl, Shorebirds, Gulls, Giant garter snake, California tiger salamander, Insects, Mollusks, Crustaceans, Striped bass, Corbicula and Potamocorbula, Nutria, Water hyacinth, Brazilian waterweed, Spongeplant, Giant reed, Yellow star thistle, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Habitat, Other species, Fish, Mammals, Birds, Amphibians and reptiles, Invertebrates, Invasive and non native species, Non resident and overwintering birds
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	San Francisco Estuary Invasive Spartina Project
Lead	California State Coastal Conservancy
Description	"The Invasive Spartina Project is a coordinated regional effort among local, state and federal organizations dedicated to preserving California's extraordinary coastal biological resources through the elimination of introduced species of Spartina(cordgrass). Introduced cordgrasses are highly aggressive invaders that significantly alter both the physical structure and biological composition of our tidal marshes, mudflats, and creeks. The project also monitors Ridgway Rails (formerly Clapper Rail) and water quality. Funding for the Invasive Spartina Project comes from the CALFED Bay-Delta Program, United States Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the California State Coastal Conservancy.
Science topics	Intertidal and transition zones, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Other species
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
Lead	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA]
Description	The National Estuarine Research Reserve System is a network of 29 coastal sites designated to protect and study estuarine systems. Established through the Coastal Zone Management Act, the reserves represent a partnership program between NOAA and the coastal states. NOAA provides funding and national guidance, and each site is managed on a daily basis by a lead state agency or university with input from local partners.
Science topics	Stage, Air temperature, Precipitation, Wind, Solar irradiance, Nitrogen and ammonia, Phosphorous, Chlorophyll A B, Salinity, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Turbidity, Intertidal and transition zones, Above highwater refugia, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Mollusks, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Other species
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	AmeriFlux Network
Lead	U.S. Department of Energy - Office of Biological and Environmental Research [DOE-BER]
Description	AmeriFlux is a network of PI-managed sites measuring ecosystem CO2, water, and energy fluxes in North, Central and South America. AmeriFlux is now one of the DOE Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER) best-known and most highly regarded brands in climate and ecological research. AmeriFlux datasets, and the understanding derived from them, provide crucial linkages between terrestrial ecosystem processes and climate-relevant responses at landscape, regional, and continental scales. Scientific Questions What are the magnitudes of carbon storage and the exchanges of energy, CO2 and water vapor in terrestrial systems? What is the spatial and temporal variability? How is this variability influenced by vegetation type, phenology, changes in land use, management, and disturbance history, and what is the relative effect of these factors? What is the causal link between climate and the exchanges of energy, CO2 and water vapor for major vegetation types, and how does seasonal and inter-annual climate variability and anomalies influence fluxes? What is the spatial and temporal variation of boundary layer CO2 concentrations, and how does this vary with topography, climatic zone and vegetation?
Science topics	Agriculture, Air temperature, Carbon, Delta islands, Environmental drivers, Forests, Habitat, Non forested vegetation, Precipitation, Solar irradiance, Wind
Updated	June 3, 2025

Title	Telemetered Stream Gauge Stations [Surface Water Monitoring]
Lead	U.S. Bureau of Reclamation [USBR]
Description	A network of stream gauges record and telemeter river stage information. Flow measurements by field crews help calibrate and confirm calculations. Data from stream gage telemetry requires careful consideration as field conditions and equipment malfunctions can provide erroneous readings. A more accurate assessment of actual flow rates requires a review of the flow record and processing to account for actual conditions.
Science topics	Water operations and exports, Water conveyance and infrastructure, Surface water flow, Stage, Flood, Main channels, Sloughs
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Water Quality Monitoring
Lead	U.S. Bureau of Reclamation [USBR]
Description	Water Quality includes a program of real-time telemetry, generally with 15-minute reporting to the California Data Exchange Center. In addition, the SJRRP initiated a program of manual water quality constituent measurements. Reclamation will evaluate shallow groundwater, irrigation supply, subsurface drain system and San Joaquin River water quality for SJRRP seepage investigations.
Science topics	Chlorophyll A B, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Turbidity, Insecticides, Rodenticides, Herbicides, Fungicides, Other discharge contaminants, Main channels, Sloughs, Conductivity
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Nutria Eradication Program
Lead	California Department of Fish and Wildlife [CDFW]
Description	CDFW implemented the Nutria Eradication Incident Command System in 2018 to detect, assess, control and eradicate invasive nutria in the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta. The program includes rights of entry, camera traps, trapping and removal of 823 (to date) nutria.
Science topics	Levees, Sloughs, Backwater, Managed ponds, Nutria, Environmental drivers, Socio economic drivers
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Perennial Streams Survey
Lead	Southern California Stormwater Monitoring Coalition [SMC]
Description	The Perennial Streams Assessment (PSA) is an ongoing, long-term statewide survey of the ecological condition of wadeable perennial streams and rivers throughout California. The PSA collects samples for biological indicators (BMIs and algae) and chemical constituents (nutrients, major ions, etc.), and also conducts habitat assessments for both in-stream and riparian corridor conditions.
Science topics	Nitrogen and ammonia, Chlorophyll A B, Harmful algal blooms HAB, Main channels, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Benthos, Insects, Mollusks, Crustaceans, Conductivity, Habitat, Invertebrates
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Bioaccumulation Monitoring Program
Lead	San Francisco Estuary Institute [SFEI]
Description	The Bioaccumulation Oversight Group (BOG) is a subcommittee of the SWAMP Roundtable that provides oversight of SWAMP's statewide bioaccumulation monitoring program. The BOG is also a workgroup of the California Water Quality Monitoring Council, and in this role manages the Safe to Eat Portal and is a forum for coordination of bioaccumulation monitoring in California. The mission of the BOG is to assess the impacts of contaminants in fish and shellfish on beneficial uses in California water bodies through statewide monitoring under SWAMP and perform syntheses of information from other studies, and to develop an internet portal that presents this information to decision-makers and the public in a form that they can easily use. See the Workgroup Charter for more information.
Science topics	Fishing, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Pelagic fish, Striped bass
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Aquatic Invasive Species [AIS] Program
Lead	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS]
Description	The overarching AIS goal is that "Risks of aquatic invasive species invasions are substantially reduced, and their economic, ecological, and human health impacts are minimized. This goal is addressed through a series of performance and workload measures. The AIS Program provides funding for Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinators for each Region within the Service and their respective aquatic nuisance species activities. These coordinators work closely with the public and private sector to develop and implement invasive species projects. One of the primary initiatives of the program is the prevention of invasive species via boats through the "100th Meridian Initiative" (overseen by individual AIS regional coordinators). This initiative aims to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species by boats personal watercraft and other pathways. Through boat inspections and boaters assessments along the 100th meridian, partners can learn how to prevent the spread of zebra mussels and other AIS via transport of boats and personal watercraft.
Science topics	Above highwater refugia, Amphibians and reptiles, Backwater, Brazilian waterweed, Corbicula and Potamocorbula, Crustaceans, Fish, Floating aquatic vegetation, Giant reed, Intertidal and transition zones, Invasive and non native species, Main channels, Mammals, Managed ponds, Mollusks, Mudflats, Nutria, Open water, Riparian wildlife, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Seasonally flooded, Sloughs, Spongeplant, Striped bass, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Water hyacinth, Yellow star thistle
Updated	June 26, 2025

Title	Mokelumne River Fish Hatchery
Lead	East Bay Municipal Utilities District
Description	The Mokelumne River supports Central Valley fall-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) (fall-run), which is the only salmon run known to naturally occur in this waterway (Clark 1929). Fall-run are listed as a Species of Concern under the federal Endangered Species Act (NMFS 2004). Camanche Dam, which impounds Camanche Reservoir is the upper limit of anadromous fish migration in the Mokelumne River. East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) initiated construction of Camanche Reservoir in 1963. As mitigation for blocking access to spawning grounds for salmonids, EBMUD provided funding for the original construction of the MOK in 1964.The MOK is located on the south bank of the Mokelumne River at the base of Camanche Dam. While EBMUD provides funding for fall-run production, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) administers and operates the hatchery. The Commercial Salmon Stamp Fund provided funding for an additional MOK building built in 2002 and continues to financially support the MOK. On an annual basis the MOK produces fall-run for mitigation (Mitigation Element) and for ocean salmon enhancement (Ocean Enhancement Element). The annual MOK production goal is 6,400,000 fall-run smolts (3,400,000 for Mitigation Element and 3,000,000 for Ocean Enhancement Element). The hatchery operations are involved with tagging and monitoring fish to assess the success of the hatchery program.
Science topics	Surface water flow, Salinity, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Main channels, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Mokelumne River Rotary Screw Trap Monitoring
Lead	East Bay Municipal Utilities District
Description	EBMUD operates 2-3 RSTs downstream of the Mokelumne Fish Hatchery.
Science topics	Surface water flow, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Turbidity, Main channels, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Sacramento Splittail, Striped bass, Fish, Water intakes and fish screens and passage
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Beneficial Use Assessment
Lead	California Water Board - Central Valley Region
Description	Since 2007, the Central Valley Water Board has conducted Recreational Beneficial Use Assessments monitoring each summer. Recreation beneficial uses are assessed using E. coli as an indicator of fecal pollution. In 2019, the Central Valley Water Board is conducting weekly sampling in the Lower American River, the Stockton Urban Waterways, and the Upper San Joaquin River. Select a watershed for the latest results. Data are uploaded to an interactive map at https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/rwqcb5/water_issues/swamp/r5_activities/2019_rbua/ and final fecal coliform data are uploaded to CEDEN (http://www.ceden.org/)
Science topics	Recreation and tourism, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, Turbidity, Main channels, Socio economic drivers, Fecal coliform E coli
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Aquatic Invasive Species Program [CDFW]
Lead	California Department of Fish and Wildlife [CDFW]
Description	The mission of the Invasive Species Program is to reduce the negative effects of non-native invasive species on the wildlands and waterways of California. We are involved in efforts to prevent the introduction of these species into the state, detect and respond to introductions when they occur, and prevent the spread of invasive species that have become established. Our projects address problems with introduced animals and plants, both terrestrial and aquatic. More fundamentally, we try to identify and address the ways by which the species are introduced, typically inadvertently, by human activities. Studies show that preventing introductions is the most effective and cost-efficient way to manage invasive species. We conduct our work in coordination with other government agencies and non-governmental organizations.
Science topics	Habitat, Invasive and non native species, Main channels, Managed ponds, Mollusks, Other species, Recreation and tourism, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Sloughs, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Vessels and shipping channels
Updated	July 31, 2024

Title	Water Quality in the Nation's Stream and Rivers
Lead	U.S. Geological Survey [USGS]
Description	In 1991, Congress established the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project to address where, when, why, and how the Nation's water quality has changed, or is likely to change in the future, in response to human activities and natural factors. A prominent feature of NAWQA is the development of long-term consistent and comparable information on streams, rivers, ground water, and aquatic systems. The NAWQA Project is designed to answer these questions: 1. What is the current condition of our Nation's streams, rivers, and groundwater? 2. How are these conditions changing over time? 3. How do natural features and human activities affect these conditions, and where are those effects most pronounced? Under the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) project, there are several surface water and ecology studies, including the Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RQSA) (a baseline assessment of streams), and current conditions and long-term trends monitoring.
Science topics	Wastewater discharge, Nitrogen and ammonia, Phosphorous, Carbon, Chlorophyll A B, Harmful algal blooms HAB, Suspended sediment, Chemistry, Toxicity, Salinity, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Turbidity, Hg and methyl mercury, Polychlorinated biphenyl PCB, Hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAH, Flame retardants, Endocrine disruptors, Lead, Cadmium, Copper, Zinc, Arsenic, Selenium, Constituent of emerging concern CEC, Insecticides, Rodenticides, Herbicides, Fungicides, Microplastics, Other discharge contaminants, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Benthos, Insects, Mollusks, Crustaceans, Fish, Invertebrates
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	SJCDWQC Surface Water Monitoring
Lead	San Joaquin County and Delta Water Quality Coalition [SJCDWQC]
Description	The San Joaquin County and Delta Water Quality Coalition (SJCDWQC or Coalition) performs monthly surface water quality monitoring as part of the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program to characterize discharge from irrigated agriculture.
Science topics	Wastewater discharge, Agriculture, Surface water flow, Toxicity, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Lead, Cadmium, Copper, Zinc, Arsenic, Selenium, Insecticides, Rodenticides, Other discharge contaminants, Non forested vegetation, Conductivity
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	SJCDWQC Groundwater Quality Trend Monitoring
Lead	San Joaquin County and Delta Water Quality Coalition [SJCDWQC]
Description	The San Joaquin County & Delta Water Quality Coalition was established to help irrigated agriculture meet the requirements of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board's (RWQCB) Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program (ILRP) in San Joaquin County, Calaveras County and Contra Costa County. The Coalitions is operated and governed by the San Joaquin County Resource Conservation District. Under the ILRP that was originally adopted in July of 2003, farmers and ranchers that irrigate their land and have runoff from that irrigation or rainfall must belong to a coalition or apply for an individual discharge permit from the Regional Board directly.
Science topics	Agriculture, Conductivity, Constituent of emerging concern CEC, Dissolved oxygen, Groundwater, Nitrogen and ammonia, Non forested vegetation, Other discharge contaminants, pH, Stormwater runoff and drainage, Turbidity, Wastewater discharge, Water temperature
Updated	November 14, 2024

Title	Classification and Assessment with Landsat of Visible Ecological Groupings [CALVEG]
Lead	U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA]
Description	CALVEG is a USDA Forest Service product providing a comprehensive spatial dataset of existing vegetation cover over California. The data were created using a combination of automated systematic procedures, remote sensing classification, photo editing, field based observations. The Pacific Southwest Region (R5) Information Management staff is responsible for producing comprehensive spatial and tabular databases for existing vegetation, in addition to other duties. A mapping methodology has been developed to capture vegetation characteristics using automated, systematic procedures that efficiently and cost-effectively map large areas of the state with minimal bias and is supplemented with onsite field visits when appropriate. Map attributes consist of vegetation types using the CALVEG classification system and forest structural characteristics such as tree and shrub canopy cover and tree stem diameters. Data collected and managed by Forest Service programs is available in a map service and two downloadable file formats - in a shape file and an ESRI file geodatabase. Metadata is available that describes the content, source, and currency of the data. You can filter the list by the topic categories in the menu at the left to help you find information you are interested in. You can view the feature classes in a single dataset by clicking on the name of the parent dataset at the bottom of the abstract.
Science topics	Riparian wildlife, Forests, Non forested vegetation, Habitat
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Nitrogen Monitoring [Self-Reporting]
Lead	Westside San Joaquin River Watershed Coalition
Description	Beginning in April 2016, members in a high vulnerability groundwater area, for which nitrate is identified as a constituent of concern, must prepare and implement a certified Nitrogen Management Plan (NMP).
Science topics	Wastewater discharge, Agriculture, Surface water flow, Groundwater, Nitrogen and ammonia, Non forested vegetation, Stormwater runoff and drainage
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	National Wetland Condition Assessment [NWCA]
Lead	U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [USEPA]
Description	The National Wetland Condition Assessment (NWCA) is a statistical survey that begins to address some of the gaps in our understanding of wetland health by providing information on the ecological condition of the nation's wetlands and stressors most commonly associated with poor condition. The NWCA is designed to answer basic questions about the extent to which our nation's wetlands support healthy ecological conditions and the prevalence of key stressors at the national and regional scale. It is intended to complement and build upon the achievements of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wetland Status and Trends Program, which characterizes changes in wetland acreage across the conterminous United States. Paired together, these two efforts provide government agencies, wetland scientists, and the public with comparable, scientifically defensible information documenting the current status and, ultimately, trends in both wetland quantity (i.e., area) and quality (i.e., ecological condition).
Science topics	Above highwater refugia, Benthos, Chemistry, Chlorophyll A B, Conductivity, Crustaceans, Dissolved oxygen, Drought, Fecal coliform E coli, Fish, Fishing, Floating aquatic vegetation, Flood, Forests, Groundwater, Habitat, Harmful algal blooms HAB, Hg and methyl mercury, Insects, Intertidal and transition zones, Invertebrates, Managed ponds, Mollusks, Mudflats, Nature-based solutions, Nitrogen and ammonia, Open water, Other discharge contaminants, Other species, Other zooplankton, Pelagic fish, pH, Phosphorous, Phytoplankton, Riparian wildlife, Salinity, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Seasonally flooded, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Surface water flow, Suspended sediment, Tides, Toxicity, Turbidity, Wetlands
Updated	January 29, 2026

Title	Sacramento Watershed Coordinated Monitoring Program [SWCMP]
Lead	Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board [Central Valley RWQCB]
Description	SWCMP is a coordinated monitoring effort between DWR and Central Valley RWQCB. This program monitors ambient water quality at locations in the Sacramento River starting upstream of Lake Shasta and going south to Verona, and at the lower end of all large streams tributary to the Sacramento River. It is funded jointly by DWR Northern District Water Quality Section and the Central Valley RWQCB SWAMP. The SWCMP is designed to meet the monitoring needs of the Regional Boardâ€™s Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP) and the DWR Northern Districtâ€™s Water Quality and Biology section. Coordination allows both agencies to maximize the use of their limited resources.
Science topics	Nitrogen and ammonia, Phosphorous, Carbon, Suspended sediment, Toxicity, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Turbidity, Lead, Cadmium, Copper, Zinc, Arsenic, Selenium, Other discharge contaminants, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Benthos, Insects, Mollusks, Crustaceans, Conductivity, Invertebrates
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	California Rice Commission [CRC] Surface Water Monitoring
Lead	California Rice Commission
Description	The efforts began under the RPP and, beginning in 2004, included activities under the Conditional Waiver for Rice (CWFR) under the ILRP. The CWFR expired at the end of 2014, and in 2015 the Rice Waste Discharge Requirements (Rice WDR) takes effect. The CRC implements water quality monitoring and reporting activities in compliance with the following two programs of the CVRWQCB: -CVRWQCB Order No. R5-2014-0032, Waste Discharge Requirements General Order for Sacramento Valley Rice Growers, and associated Monitoring and Reporting Program (MRP) Order R5-2014-0032 -Rice Pesticides Program (RPP), pursuant to the Conditional Prohibition of Discharge requirements specified in the Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins (Basin Plan;Resolution R5-2010-9001)
Science topics	Wastewater discharge, Agriculture, Surface water flow, Nitrogen and ammonia, Phosphorous, Toxicity, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Turbidity, Copper, Insecticides, Non forested vegetation, Conductivity
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	California Rice Commission [CA Rice] Groundwater Monitoring
Lead	California Rice Commission
Description	In 1997, 28 rice wells were installed by the USGS. Since then, several of the wells have been destroyed or replaced and new wells have been installed to complement the original wells. Currently, 24 wells are active and used for water level monitoring and groundwater quality sampling. After two full network sampling events, the USGS used five network wells for trend monitoring as part of the USGS National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Cycle II groundwater monitoring activities (from 2004 to 2014). Under the current monitoring program, now in Cycle III (2014 to 2024), water level monitoring is conducted bi-annually. In 2017, water quality monitoring will include the full network of active wells
Science topics	Agriculture, Groundwater, Nitrogen and ammonia, Suspended sediment, Salinity, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Seasonally flooded, Non forested vegetation, Conductivity
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Moderate resolution imaging spectro radiometer MODIS
Lead	National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA]
Description	MODIS (or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) is a key instrument aboard the Terra (originally known as EOS AM-1) and Aqua (originally known as EOS PM-1) satellites. Terra's orbit around the Earth is timed so that it passes from north to south across the equator in the morning, while Aqua passes south to north over the equator in the afternoon. Terra MODIS and Aqua MODIS are viewing the entire Earth's surface every 1 to 2 days, acquiring data in 36 spectral bands, or groups of wavelengths (see MODIS Technical Specifications). These data will improve our understanding of global dynamics and processes occurring on the land, in the oceans, and in the lower atmosphere. MODIS is playing a vital role in the development of validated, global, interactive Earth system models able to predict global change accurately enough to assist policy makers in making sound decisions concerning the protection of our environment.
Science topics	Water operations and exports, Water storage, Water conveyance and infrastructure, Forest harvesting, Agriculture, Urban development, Recreation and tourism, Surface water flow, Direction, Tides, Residence time, Waves, Flood, Drought, Mudflats, Intertidal and transition zones, Above highwater refugia, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Floating aquatic vegetation, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds, Riparian wildlife, Forests, Non forested vegetation, Delta islands, Pacific flyway, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Habitat, Energy and mines, Water use and demand
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on International Space Station [ECOSTRESS]
Lead	National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA]
Description	NASA JPL monitors water availability by measuring the temperatures of plants.
Science topics	Agriculture, Urban development, Sea level rise, Wildfire, Harmful algal blooms HAB, Phytoplankton, Suspended sediment, Turbidity, Mudflats, Intertidal and transition zones, Above highwater refugia, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Floating aquatic vegetation, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds, Riparian wildlife, Forests, Non forested vegetation, Delta islands, Pacific flyway, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Habitat, Snowpack and snow water equivalent SWE
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Landsat Science Program
Lead	Goddard Space Flight Center
Description	Multispectral earth imaging satellite acquires data for earth observation. Numerous applications and extensive history of success with environmental and land use programs.
Science topics	Levees, Dredging, Forest harvesting, Agriculture, Urban development, Roads and bridges, Rail lines, Docks and ports, Surface water flow, Groundwater, Stage, Direction, Tides, Residence time, Waves, Flood, Drought, Wildfire, Harmful algal blooms HAB, Phytoplankton, Suspended sediment, Turbidity, Mudflats, Intertidal and transition zones, Above highwater refugia, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Floating aquatic vegetation, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds, Riparian wildlife, Forests, Non forested vegetation, Delta islands, Pacific flyway, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Habitat, Energy and mines, Snowpack and snow water equivalent SWE
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Sentinel Satellite
Lead	European Space Agency
Description	Earth observation using multispectral imagery from satellites. Especially suitable for monitoring changes in land cover.
Science topics	Levees, Dredging, Forest harvesting, Agriculture, Urban development, Recreation and tourism, Surface water flow, Groundwater, Stage, Velocity, Direction, Tides, Residence time, Waves, Flood, Drought, Land elevation, Subsidence, Sea level rise, Seismicity, Wildfire, Air temperature, Precipitation, Wind, Extreme heat, Extreme storms, Suspended sediment, Water temperature, Mudflats, Intertidal and transition zones, Above highwater refugia, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Floating aquatic vegetation, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds, Riparian wildlife, Forests, Non forested vegetation, Delta islands, Pacific flyway, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Habitat, Energy and mines, Snowpack and snow water equivalent SWE, Water intakes and fish screens and passage
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	WorldView-3
Lead	DigitalGlobe
Description	Provides commercial satellite services. Multiple satellites continuously collecting multispectral imagery throughout the globe. Available for download and processing by end users.
Science topics	Levees, Forest harvesting, Agriculture, Urban development, Recreation and tourism, Roads and bridges, Rail lines, Docks and ports, Surface water flow, Stage, Direction, Tides, Residence time, Flood, Drought, Land elevation, Subsidence, Sea level rise, Seismicity, Wildfire, Suspended sediment, Erosion, Turbidity, Mudflats, Intertidal and transition zones, Above highwater refugia, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Floating aquatic vegetation, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds, Riparian wildlife, Forests, Non forested vegetation, Delta islands, Pacific flyway, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Energy and mines, Snowpack and snow water equivalent SWE, Vessels and shipping channels
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Bioassessment Program
Lead	California Department of Fish and Wildlife [CDFW]
Description	Biological assessment (bioassessment) is an evaluation of the condition of a waterbody based on the organisms living within it. It involves surveying the types and numbers of organisms present in the water and comparing the results to established benchmarks of biological health. Scientists and managers around the world use this approach to directly and quantitatively measure the ecological health of a waterbody and to monitor the cumulative impacts of environmental stressors on surface waters. Benthic macroinvertebrates (BMIs) and benthic algae are the primary biota used for bioassessments in California. BMIs are a diverse group of small but visible animals that live at the bottom of rivers and streams. They are comprised mostly of aquatic insects but also include crustaceans, mollusks, and worms. BMI assemblages are found in most waterbodies and are reliable indicators of biological health because they are relatively stationary and respond predictably to a variety of environmental stressors. Benthic algae are also sensitive to environmental stressors and provide environmental condition information that is often complementary to that derived from BMI assemblages. Because of their short lifespans and rapid reproduction rate, algae can respond quickly to changing water conditions. They are also more directly responsive to nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus) and are therefore suited for monitoring nutrient runoff, one of the major environmental stressors in California. SWAMP began conducting bioassessment in 2000. The program continues to work closely with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's (CDFW) Aquatic Bioassessment Laboratory, which has been the primary producer of this technical work.
Science topics	Salinity, Water temperature, Main channels, Insects, Mollusks, Crustaceans, Conductivity, Other species, Invertebrates
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Central Valley Chinook Adult Escapement Monitoring Project
Lead	California Department of Fish and Wildlife [CDFW]
Description	The Central Valley Chinook Salmon In-river Escapement Monitoring Plan is a science-based collaborative approach to improve monitoring of adult Chinook salmon returning from the ocean to spawn in CV streams (escapement) and harvested in freshwater. Accurate estimates of escapement are critical to sound management of ocean and inland harvest and monitoring the recovery of listed stocks. A result of requests from fisheries resource managers, the development of this plan was funded in 2007 by the CALFED Ecosystem Restoration Program. The comprehensive monitoring plan includes a spatially and temporally balanced sampling protocol that when implemented will allow for statistically defensible estimates of population status. The plan incorporates an adaptive management strategy, and recommends a standardized database structure, as well as standardized reporting techniques.
Science topics	Main channels, Chinook Salmon
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Soil Survey Geographic Database [SSURGO]
Lead	U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA]
Description	The SSURGO database contains information about soil as collected by the National Cooperative Soil Survey over the course of a century. The information can be displayed in tables or as maps and is available for most areas in the United States and the Territories, Commonwealths, and Island Nations served by the USDA-NRCS. The information was gathered by walking over the land and observing the soil. Many soil samples were analyzed in laboratories. The maps outline areas called map units. The map units describe soils and other components that have unique properties, interpretations, and productivity. The information was collected at scales ranging from 1:12,000 to 1:63,360. More details were gathered at a scale of 1:12,000 than at a scale of 1:63,360. The mapping is intended for natural resource planning and management by landowners, townships, and counties. Some knowledge of soils data and map scale is necessary to avoid misunderstandings. The maps are linked in the database to information about the component soils and their properties for each map unit. Each map unit may contain one to three major components and some minor components. The map units are typically named for the major components. Examples of information available from the database include available water capacity, soil reaction, electrical conductivity, and frequency of flooding;yields for cropland, woodland, rangeland, and pastureland;and limitations affecting recreational development, building site development, and other engineering uses. SSURGO datasets consist of map data, tabular data, and information about how the maps and tables were created. The extent of a SSURGO dataset is a soil survey area, which may consist of a single county, multiple counties, or parts of multiple counties. SSURGO map data can be viewed in the Web Soil Survey or downloaded in ESRIÂ® Shapefile format. The coordinate systems are Geographic. Attribute data can be downloaded in text format that can be imported into a MicrosoftÂ® AccessÂ® database.
Science topics	Forests, Non forested vegetation, Delta islands, Environmental drivers, Habitat
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Program [GAMA]
Lead	U.S. Geological Survey [USGS]
Description	The Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program is California's comprehensive groundwater quality monitoring program that was created by the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) in 2000. It was later expanded by Assembly Bill 599 - the Groundwater Quality Monitoring Act of 2001. AB 599 required the State Water Board, in coordination with an Interagency Task Force (ITF) and Public Advisory Committee (PAC) to integrate existing monitoring programs and design new program elements as necessary, resulting in a publicly accepted plan to monitor and assess groundwater quality in basins that account for 95% of the state's groundwater use. The GAMA Program is based on interagency collaboration with the State and Regional Water Boards, Department of Water Resources, Department of Pesticide Regulations, U.S. Geological Survey, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and cooperation with local water agencies and well owners.
Science topics	Groundwater, Salinity, Hg and methyl mercury, Hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAH, Flame retardants, Endocrine disruptors, Lead, Arsenic, Selenium, Constituent of emerging concern CEC, Nitrogen and ammonia, Other discharge contaminants, Conductivity, Habitat, Fecal coliform E coli
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Fisheries Branch Anadromous Assessment
Lead	California Department of Water Resource [DWR]
Description	The Fisheries Branch Anadromous Assessment Unit compiles annual population estimates of Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. Estimates are based on counts of fish entering hatcheries and migrating past dams, carcass surveys, live fish counts, creel census data, and ground and aerial redd counts.
Science topics	Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Chinook Salmon
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Anadromous Fish Abundance and Trends
Lead	Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission [PSMFC]
Description	In 1998, the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, the California Department of Fish and Game, and the National Marine Fisheries Service began a cooperative effort to collect, archive, and enter into standardized database formats the information generated by fisheries resources agencies throughout California. Data for this project have been collected from a variety of government sources, such as the Department of Fish and Game and the US Forest Service, and non-government sources, such as tribal fisheries monitoring, university research, local watershed stewardship programs, and numerous additional fisheries stakeholders. The database contains a significant amount of information regarding the current and historic status of California's anadromous fish. The building and expansion of the cooperative anadromous fisheries abundance dataset is largely dependent on funding, support, and sharing the vision that this type of program in California is imperative. The wealth of this type of information that has already been compiled into the CalFish database demonstrates what can be accomplished through interagency cooperation.
Science topics	Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Habitat, Fish
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Anadromous Fish Distribution
Lead	California Department of Fish and Wildlife [CDFW]
Description	To meet the need for consistent statewide anadromous distribution data, CalFish cooperators have initiated a series of projects to begin pulling existing distribution data together for select anadromous species. We began developing Coho Distribution in 2002, published the first publicly available version in July 2007 and most recently updated with new information in June 2012. We extended this effort to Steelhead in the Fall of 2004, first published the data in the Fall of 2007 and updated it in Fall 2009 and most recently June 2012. Additionally, we are seeking funding to further extend this effort to Chinook in the very near future.
Science topics	Fishing, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Freshwater CyanoHABs Program [Blue-Green Algae Harmful Algal Blooms]
Lead	California State Water Resources Control Board [SWRCB]
Description	Observations of harmful algal blooms (HABs) and algal toxins have increased globally in recent years. HABs are problematic because they can affect multiple beneficial uses including recreation, aquatic life, and drinking water by reducing aesthetics, lowering dissolved oxygen concentration, causing taste and odor problems, and producing potent toxins. Water Board staff are working with state and local entities to identify and respond to HAB incidents throughout California. The Water Board first began to formally address this issue in 2005 when it formed the Blue Green Algae Work Group, later renamed the California Cyanobacteria Harmful Algal Bloom Network (CCHAB). An initial product of this group was the Voluntary Guidance Document (original release 2010, updated 2016). Subsequently, SWAMP prepared California Freshwater HAB Assessment and Support Strategy to articulate a coordinated program to assess, communicate and manage HABs in California.
Science topics	Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Floating aquatic vegetation, Benthos, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Environmental drivers, Socio economic drivers, Other species
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Smelt Larva Survey
Lead	California State Water Resources Control Board [SWRCB]
Description	The Smelt Larva Survey provides near real-time distribution data for longfin smelt larvae in the Delta, Suisun Bay and Suisun Marsh. Sampling takes place within the first two weeks in January and repeats every other week through the second week in March. Each 4-day survey consists of a single 10-minute oblique tow conducted at each of the 35 survey locations (see map) using an egg and larva net. The 505-micron mesh net is hung on a rigid frame shaped like an inverted-U, which in turn is attached to skis to prevent it from digging into the bottom when deployed. The net mouth area measures 0.37 m2. The conical net tapers back from the frame 3.35 m to a 1-liter cod-end jar, which collects and concentrates the sample. Immediately after each tow, juvenile fishes are removed, identified, measured and returned to the water immediately, and the remaining larvae are preserved in 10% formalin for later identification in the Lab in Stockton.
Science topics	Stage, Salinity, Water temperature, Turbidity, Main channels, Sloughs, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Green sturgeon, White Sturgeon, Delta Smelt, Longfin Smelt, Sacramento Splittail, Conductivity
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Spring Kodiak Trawl Survey
Lead	California Department of Fish and Wildlife [CDFW]
Description	The Spring Kodiak Trawl Survey (SKT) has sampled annually since its inception in 2002. The SKT determines the relative abundance and distribution of spawning delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus). The SKT samples 40 stations each month from January to May. These 40 stations range from San Pablo Bay upstream to Stockton on the San Joaquin River, Walnut Grove on the Sacramento River, and the Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel. Each 'Delta-wide' survey takes approximately 4 - 5 days per month to complete. Historically, 'Delta-wide' surveys were followed by a 'Supplemental' survey two weeks later to intensively sample areas of highest delta smelt concentration to estimate the proportion of male and female delta smelt that were in pre-spawning, spawning and spent maturation stages. Beginning in 2008, in an effort to minimize take of spawning adults, routine 'Supplemental' surveys were discontinued and are now only conducted under the recommendation of the Smelt Working Group and the approval of managers.
Science topics	Stage, Salinity, Water temperature, Turbidity, Main channels, Sloughs, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Green sturgeon, White Sturgeon, Delta Smelt, Longfin Smelt, Sacramento Splittail, Conductivity, Other species
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Striped Bass Study
Lead	California Department of Fish and Wildlife [CDFW]
Description	Staff of the Striped Bass Study calculate adult Striped Bass abundance, relative abundance, harvest rate, and survival rate by using data from Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessels (Party Boats;CPFV), various creel surveys, and a mark-recapture program. We monitor the relative abundance of adult Striped Bass by calculating catch per unit effort (CPUE) from data submitted by Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessels. The Department's Marine Region compiles the data, we request the data at intervals, and we calculate CPUE. By applying tags to adult Striped Bass and monitoring the subsequent ratio of tagged fish to untagged fish, we calculate adult Striped Bass abundance, relative abundance, harvest rate, and survival rate. During April and May we use large traps near Knights Landing and nets near Antioch to collect adult Striped Bass, then we tag and release them on-site. Each tag includes our mailing address and a unique code, and some tags include a reward value. By posting "Tagged-fish Wanted" posters around the Estuary and making presentations, we encourage anglers to return tags to us. We also recover tags by talking with anglers during various creel surveys.
Science topics	Water temperature, Main channels, Striped bass
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Sturgeon Study
Lead	California Department of Water Resource [DWR]
Description	Staff of the Sturgeon Study make estimates of sturgeon abundance, relative abundance, harvest rate, and survival rate by using data from Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessels (Party Boats;CPFV), various creel surveys, and a mark-recapture program. We monitor the relative abundance of sturgeon by calculating catch per unit effort (CPUE) from data submitted by Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessels. The Department's Marine Region compiles the data, we request the data at intervals, and we calculate CPUE. By applying tags to sturgeon and monitoring the subsequent ratio of tagged fish to untagged fish, we calculate sturgeon abundance, relative abundance, harvest rate, and survival rate. During August-October we use nets in San Pablo Bay and/or Suisun Bay to collect sturgeon, then we tag and release them on-site. Each tag includes our mailing address and a unique code, and some tags include a reward value. By posting "Tagged-fish Wanted" posters around the Estuary and making presentations, we encourage anglers to return tags to us. We also recover tags by talking with anglers during various creel surveys.
Science topics	Main channels, Green sturgeon, White Sturgeon, Habitat
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	EMP Zooplankton Study
Lead	California Department of Fish and Wildlife [CDFW]
Description	The Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP) has conducted the Zooplankton Study since 1972 to better assess trends in the lower trophic food web in the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary. The study also detects and monitors zooplankton recently introduced to the estuary and determines their effects on native species. Under the auspices of the Interagency Ecological Program for the San Francisco Estuary and mandated by Water Right Decision D-1641, the EMP Zooplankton Study is part of the Environmental Monitoring Program and is conducted by the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFW), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), and the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR).
Science topics	Crustaceans, Invertebrates, Main channels, Mysis, Other zooplankton, Sloughs
Updated	October 16, 2024

Title	Delta Juvenile Fish Monitoring Program [DJFMP]
Lead	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS]
Description	The Delta Juvenile Fish Monitoring Program (DJFMP) has monitored natural-origin and hatchery-origin juvenile Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and other fish species within the San Francisco Estuary (SFE) since 1976 using a combination of midwater trawls and beach seines. Since 2000, three trawl sites and at least 58 beach seine sites have been sampled weekly or biweekly within the SFE and lower Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. The main objectives of the DJFMP are: 1. Document the long-term abundance and distribution of juvenile Chinook Salmon in the Delta. 2. Comprehensively monitor throughout the year to document the presence of all races of juvenile Chinook Salmon. 3. Intensively monitor juvenile Chinook salmon during the fall and winter months for use in managing water project operations (Delta Cross Channel gates and water export levels) on a real-time basis. 4. Document the abundance and distribution of Steelhead. 5. Document the abundance and distribution of non-salmonid species.
Science topics	Aquatic vegetation, Chinook Salmon, Conductivity, Crustaceans, Dissolved oxygen, Endangered species, Environmental drivers, Estuaries, Fish, Habitat, Historical ecology, Intertidal and transition zones, Invasive and non native species, Invertebrates, Jellyfish, Main channels, Monitoring methods and techniques, Mysis, Open water, Other species, Pelagic fish, Salinity, Salmon migration, Salmon rearing, SAV and FAV, Steelhead Trout, Turbidity, Water conveyance and infrastructure, Water management, Water operations and exports, Water temperature
Updated	May 21, 2025

Title	Suisun Marsh Fish Study
Lead	University of California - Davis [UC Davis]
Description	The University of California, Davis has been involved in fish and wildlife monitoring and research within Suisun Marsh for 35 years and has been instrumental in detecting important trends associated with naturally fluctuating environmental conditions as well as anthropogenic influences. Research has included a 35+ year time series on the fish and invertebrate communities of the slough networks, research on waterfowl nesting patterns and population biology, and research on the demography of salt marsh harvest mouse. The Suisun Marsh Fish Study anchors this effort as it is the longest established survey in Suisun marsh. It will continue the research of Professor Peter Moyle under the direction of John Durand, and will focus upon the detection of changes in the aquatic ecosystem in response to developing stressors in the San Francisco Estuary (SFE). This time series is designed to further our understanding of the ecology and function of the fish community residing within Suisun Marsh and the San Francisco Estuary (SFE), and acts as one of the key surveys with Interagency Ecological Program's monitoring effort.
Science topics	Stage, Tides, Salinity, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, Main channels, Sloughs, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Green sturgeon, White Sturgeon, Delta Smelt, Longfin Smelt, Sacramento Splittail, Pelagic fish, Benthos, Salt marsh harvest mouse, Mollusks, Crustaceans, Striped bass, Corbicula and Potamocorbula, Conductivity, Environmental drivers, Other species, Fish, Invertebrates
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	California Aquatic Resource Inventory [CARI]
Lead	San Francisco Estuary Institute [SFEI]
Description	The California Aquatic Resource Inventory is a standardized statewide map of surface waters and related habitat types, including wetlands, rivers, streams, lakes, and their riparian areas. The CARI v0 dataset includes: the National Wetland Inventory (NWI, last updated in 2010) of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD, high resolution dataset at 1:2400 scale, last updated in 1999) of the US Geological Survey, three regional datasets developed by SFEI's GIS team using CARI's standardized, and more detailed, mapping protocols and used to demonstrate the WRAMP framework. Links to more information about these mapping efforts are listed below under "Subprojects" (below). San Francisco Bay Area Aquatic Resources Inventory (BAARI)- 2011 Lake Tahoe Basin (TARIv2.1) - 2016 Laguna de Santa Rosa Plain (near Santa Rosa ,CA. NCARI) - 2013, and Six County Aquatic Resources Inventory (including Sacramento, Placer, Yolo, El Dorado, Yuba, and Sutter Counties, California) developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers (Sacramento District) through federal funding - 2010. For more information contact ecoatlas@sfei.org
Science topics	Mudflats, Intertidal and transition zones, Above highwater refugia, Saltwater and freshwater marshes
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Breeding Waterfowl Surveys
Lead	Pacific Flyway Council
Description	The California breeding population survey is modeled after the continental breeding survey. Though most of the wintering waterfowl in California breed outside of the state, California still has a significant number that both breed and winter here. CDFW and California Waterfowl Association (CWA) biologists conduct the California survey. Surveyed areas include wetland and agricultural areas in northeastern California, throughout the Central Valley, the Suisun Marsh, and some coastal valleys. CDFW biologists and warden-pilots use a fixed-wing aircraft to fly all of the transects while CWA completes the "ground" portion of the survey using a helicopter. This survey also utilizes a visibility correction factor. For the most part, ducks that only winter in California comprise most of the harvest, but CDFW augments the continental survey assessment with the estimates of California's breeding population for developing hunting regulation recommendations.
Science topics	Mudflats, Intertidal and transition zones, Above highwater refugia, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds, Riparian wildlife, Delta islands, Pacific flyway, Waterfowl, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Non resident and overwintering birds
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Multibeam Delta Bathymetry Surveys
Lead	California Department of Water Resource [DWR]
Description	The California Department of Water Resources (CA-DWR), North Central Region Office (NCRO), Bathymetry and Technical Support Section has conducted bathymetry surveys in the Delta since 2011 (according to the Bathymetry Catalog). Data have been used to support planning for the installation of behavioural fish barriers, to assess the riverâ€™s channel capacity and ability to convey flows, to assess water quality dynamics, to better understand the areaâ€™s risk of flooding and to improve the quality of flood hazard data and maps available to local communities (under the DWRâ€™s FloodSAFE California Initiative), to improve knowledge of sediment presence and movement, to provide high-resolution bathymetry data for hydraulic models, to assess the placement of a drought barrier, to determine how the channel bottom is evolving due to the installation of an emergency drought barrier, and to determine the effects of fish passage projects.
Science topics	Flood, Land elevation, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Yolo Bypass Fish Monitoring
Lead	California Department of Water Resource [DWR]
Description	California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has operated a fisheries monitoring program in the Yolo Bypass, a seasonal floodplain and tidal slough, since 1998. The objectives of the Yolo Bypass Fish Monitoring Program (YBFMP) are to: (1) collect baseline data on lower trophic levels (phytoplankton, zooplankton, and aquatic insects), juvenile fish and adult fish, hydrology, and water quality parameters;(2) investigation of the temporal and seasonal patterns in chlorophyll-a concentrations, including whether high concentrations are exported from the Bypass during agricultural and natural flow events and the possibility of manipulating bypass flows to benefit listed species like Delta Smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) and Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). The YBFMP operates a rotary screw trap and fyke trap, and conducts biweekly beach seine and lower trophic surveys in addition to maintaining water quality instrumentation in the bypass. The YBFMP serves to fill information gaps regarding environmental conditions in the bypass that trigger migrations and enhanced survival and growth of native fishes, as well as provide data for IEP synthesis efforts.
Science topics	Chinook Salmon, Chlorophyll A B, Conductivity, Delta Smelt, Direction, Dissolved oxygen, Endangered species, Fish, Flood, Food webs, Green sturgeon, Habitat, Habitat restoration, Insects, Intertidal and transition zones, Invasive and non native species, Invertebrates, Longfin Smelt, Main channels, Nitrogen, Nitrogen and ammonia, Nutrients, Other species, Other zooplankton, Pelagic fish, pH, Phytoplankton, Primary production, Sacramento Splittail, Salmon migration, Salmon rearing, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, SAV and FAV, Seasonally flooded, Solar irradiance, Stage, Steelhead Trout, Striped bass, Sturgeon, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Surface water flow, Tides, Turbidity, Velocity, Water, Water temperature, Wetlands, White Sturgeon, Zooplankton
Updated	August 28, 2024

Title	Municipal Water Quality Investigation Program [MWQI]
Lead	California Department of Water Resource [DWR]
Description	DWR's municipal water quality monitoring program studies the effect the Delta has on quality, treatability, and reliability of source waters for municipal use. Discrete water quality samples are collected monthly and biweekly throughout the Delta. The Real Time Data and Forecasting-Comprehensive Program (RTDF-CP) collects continuous data at 5 key locations in the Delta, State Water Project and Central Valley Project, coalesces the data into graphs, and provides model-based water quality forecasts. Together, these resources are essential tools for drinking water purveyors in efficiently managing water treatment operations. MWQI monitoring data are used in drinking water supply studies, to identify long-term trends in drinking water quality, and to help DWR and other agencies research and mitigate drinking water issues in Delta waters and the SWP. Additionally, in collaboration with the BDO, O&M EAB, and OCO, monitoring data are used to further develop the "early warning" system that provides advance notice to Delta water users of possible drinking water quality problems. Monitoring data are collected by two different monitoring strategies;1) discrete grab samples, and 2) continuous real-time monitoring via remotely located instrumentation. Municipal water quality monitoring parameters include: Organic carbon, Anions, Cations, Salinity, Nutrients, Chlorophyll, Metals, and Total dissolved solids
Science topics	Water conveyance and infrastructure, Agriculture, Nitrogen and ammonia, Phosphorous, Carbon, Chlorophyll A B, Detritus, Harmful algal blooms HAB, Phytoplankton, Other zooplankton, Salinity, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Turbidity, Hg and methyl mercury, Polychlorinated biphenyl PCB, Hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAH, Flame retardants, Endocrine disruptors, Lead, Cadmium, Copper, Zinc, Arsenic, Selenium, Constituent of emerging concern CEC, Insecticides, Rodenticides, Herbicides, Fungicides, Microplastics, Other discharge contaminants, Main channels, Sloughs, Fecal coliform E coli
Updated	June 14, 2024

Title	Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program [VegCAMP]
Lead	California Department of Fish and Wildlife [CDFW]
Description	VegCAMP focuses on developing and maintaining maps and classifying all vegetation and habitats in the state to support conservation and management decisions at the local, regional, and state levels. The principal roles of the program include: Developing and maintaining a standardized vegetation classification system for California;Implementing and updating best methods of vegetation assessment including sampling, analyzing, reporting, and mapping vegetation at multiple scales;Training resource professionals on these methods and coordinating with other agencies and organizations to ensure a statewide, standardized approach toward collecting, reporting, and interpreting vegetation data;Developing best practices for using these data for long-range conservation and management of natural lands in the state;Conducting integrated vegetation assessments throughout the state in areas with high conservation and management interest to the Department of Fish and Wildlife and other agencies;Archiving and distributing vegetation data;Coordinating with other state, federal, and local agencies and organizations involved in vegetation assessment;Integrating standard vegetation classification systems with species distributions to encourage unified habitat assessments and conservation efforts. Long-range goals of the program include: Completing and maintaining a statewide SCV-compliant classification and map in collaboration with other agencies and organizations;Developing and updating the most appropriate vegetation products for conservation planning and natural resources management within the state;Integrating the program with similar ones from other states and countries to facilitate national and international conservation and management of natural resources.
Science topics	Forest harvesting, Agriculture, Urban development, Wildfire, Mudflats, Intertidal and transition zones, Riparian wildlife, Forests, Non forested vegetation, Delta islands, Pacific flyway, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Habitat
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Sacramento District Water Control Data System [WCDS]
Lead	U.S. Army Corps of Engineers [USACE]
Description	The Sacramento District's Water Control Data System (WCDS) collects data necessary for the management of Corps Reservoirs and Flood Control Space in Non-Corps Reservoirs (i.e.,"Section 7" projects)
Science topics	Water operations and exports, Water storage, Water conveyance and infrastructure, Wastewater discharge, Surface water flow, Stage, Flood, Air temperature, Precipitation, Wind, Main channels, Sloughs, Environmental drivers, Snowpack and snow water equivalent SWE, Water use and demand
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Delta Region Areawide Aquatic Weed Project [DRAAWP]
Lead	California Department of Parks and Recreation [PARKS]
Description	The Delta Region Areawide Aquatic Weed Program has been focusing science and the application of science onto the management of invasive aquatic weeds such as water hyacinth, Brazilian egeria, and water primrose in the Delta.
Science topics	Above highwater refugia, Backwater, Delta islands, Floating aquatic vegetation, Giant reed, Habitat, Intertidal and transition zones, Main channels, Sloughs, Submerged aquatic vegetation
Updated	November 29, 2022

Title	Invasive Species Program
Lead	California Department of Fish and Wildlife [CDFW]
Description	The mission of the Invasive Species Program is to reduce the negative effects of non-native invasive species on the wildlands and waterways of California. We are involved in efforts to prevent the introduction of these species into the state, detect and respond to introductions when they occur, and prevent the spread of invasive species that have become established. The Quagga/Zebra program particularly relies heavily on water quality data, as the species will not establish in waters with low calcium. Therefore they rely substantially on water quality data collected and housed by others (primarily DWR). A large part of their effort is in training other state or private recreational agencies to recognize and report the species, and therefore also reported by others.
Science topics	Mudflats, Intertidal and transition zones, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Floating aquatic vegetation, Open water, Managed ponds, Waterfowl, Insects, Mollusks, Crustaceans, Corbicula and Potamocorbula, Nutria, Water hyacinth, Brazilian waterweed, Spongeplant, Giant reed, Yellow star thistle, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Other species, Mammals, Amphibians and reptiles, Invasive and non native species
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Water Tracker
Lead	Point Blue Conservation Science
Description	The Water Tracker is an automated system that provides up-to-date and accurate data on surface water distributions in the Central Valley. This information is useful for water and wetland managers when making decisions about water management.
Science topics	Surface water flow, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Continuous Monitoring of Water Quality & Suspended-Sediment Transport [Bay-Delta]
Lead	U.S. Geological Survey [USGS]
Description	Our group at the USGS continuously monitors suspended-sediment concentration (SSC), turbidity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity, and water level at many sites throughout the San Francisco Bay (Bay) and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Rivers Delta (Delta). Our work began in 1988 to explore the spatial and temporal variability of water quality and sediment transport and to provide decision makers, resource managers, and the public with the most up-to-date knowledge. Topics we study include water quality, sediment transport, water clarity, erosion and deposition, sediment-associated contaminants and habitat quality, wetland restoration, and sea level rise.
Science topics	Water operations and exports, Water storage, Water conveyance and infrastructure, Surface water flow, Stage, Velocity, Suspended sediment, Bedload, Deposition, Erosion, Chemistry, Toxicity, Salinity, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, Turbidity, Other discharge contaminants, Intertidal and transition zones, Main channels, Sloughs, Open water, Riparian wildlife, Conductivity, Water use and demand, Water intakes and fish screens and passage
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Water Quality of San Francisco Bay
Lead	U.S. Geological Survey [USGS]
Description	This website provides information about the following components of water quality: salinity, temperature, suspended particulate matter, dissolved oxygen, light penetration, and chlorophyll concentration. These parameters are measured using a submersible instrument package called a CTD. This program complements the Interagency Ecological Program (IEP) for the San Francisco Bay/Delta Ecosystem.
Science topics	Solar irradiance, Chlorophyll A B, Suspended sediment, Salinity, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, Other discharge contaminants, Main channels
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Western Regional Climate Center [WRCC] - Weather Monitoring
Lead	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA]
Description	THE WESTERN REGIONAL CLIMATE CENTER (WRCC) is one of six National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Regional Climate Centers across the nation. The WRCC has been housed within DRI's Division of Atmospheric Science since its inauguration in 1986. WRCC acts as a repository for high-quality historical climate data and information for the western U.S., a region covering the eleven westernmost states, including Alaska, Hawaii, and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands. WRCC offers value-added tools and maintains climate services staff to support the analysis and interpretation of climate data in support of decision-making. WRCC also helps to coordinate climate-related activities at local, state, regional, and national scales. Federal partners such as the National Integrated Drought Information System, the National Centers for Environmental Information, the Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, and the California Nevada Applications Program support some of WRCC's major activities. In addition to climate services, WRCC staff engage in applied research on a variety of weather and climate topics.
Science topics	Air temperature, Precipitation, Wind, Solar irradiance, Extreme heat, Extreme storms, Non forested vegetation, Evaporation and evapotranspiration
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Surface Water Protection Program
Lead	California Department of Pesticide Regulation [DPR]
Description	CA Department of Pesticide Regulation is the lead agency for regulating the registration, sales and use of pesticides in California. It is required by law to protect the environment, including surface waters, from environmentally harmful pesticides by prohibiting, regulating, or controlling the uses of such pesticides. The Surface Water Protection Program addresses both agricultural and nonagricultural sources of pesticide residues in surface waters. It has preventive and response components that reduce the presence of pesticides in surface waters. The preventive component includes local outreach to promote management practices that reduce pesticide runoff. Prevention also relies on DPR's registration process in which potential adverse effects to surface water quality, particularly those in high-risk situations are evaluated. The response component includes mitigation options to meet water quality goals, recognizing the value of self-regulating efforts to reduce pesticides in surface water as well as regulatory authorities of DPR, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and the Regional Water Quality Control Boards (RWQCB).
Science topics	Surface water flow, Groundwater, Toxicity, Endocrine disruptors, Copper, Constituent of emerging concern CEC, Insecticides, Rodenticides, Herbicides, Fungicides, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Non forested vegetation, Habitat
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Farmland Mapping & Monitoring Program [FMMP]
Lead	U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA]
Description	The Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program (FMMP) produces maps and statistical data used for analyzing impacts on California's agricultural resources. Agricultural land is rated according to soil quality and irrigation status;the best quality land is called Prime Farmland. The maps are updated every two years with the use of a computer mapping system, aerial imagery, public review, and field reconnaissance.
Science topics	Agriculture, Urban development, Non forested vegetation, Environmental drivers, Habitat
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Statewide Crop Mapping
Lead	Land IQ
Description	Agricultural lands are mapped in the state of California each year, beginning in 2014. In 2014, DWR contracted LandIQ to undertake a comprehensive mapping project for the the state of California. Field-scale assessment of agricultural land use and urban/managed wetland boundaries were determined, and these 2014 data are publicly available on the DWR Land User Viewer interactive map. Following this 2014 work, LanIQ was subsequrntly contracted to continue mapping in and around the state of California, focused on mapping agricultural lands only (2014-ongoing). Aerial imagery provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) was collected throughout the summer of 2014 by the USDA and used for field delineation, classification and QA/QC of the final product. Multiple Landsat 8 images were used for the initial crop classification. Imagery from the Landsat 8 satellite is free and available every 16 days and provided for temporal analysis throughout the growing season. Ground truth data were collected during the 2014 growing season prior to the initiation of this project. These data were used for training and validation of the mapping analysis. Field data from over 15% of all irrigated land in the Central Valley was collected. 25% of the ground truth data were set aside for independent validation. Analysis in areas that lacked ground truth data was performed using imagery and classification approaches established in areas that were informed by training data. (https://gis.water.ca.gov/app/CADWRLandUseViewer/images/i15_Crop_Mapping_2014_Final_Meta.pdf) (https://gis.water.ca.gov/app/CADWRLandUseViewer/)
Science topics	Agriculture, Urban development, Mudflats, Intertidal and transition zones, Above highwater refugia, Managed ponds, Saltwater and freshwater marshes
Updated	April 29, 2022

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