Stormwater Monitoring Coalition

Project Description

The Southern California Stormwater Monitoring Coalition (SMC) was formed in 2001 by cooperative agreement of the Phase I municipal stormwater NPDES lead permittees, the NPDES regulatory agencies in southern California and the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project. The SMC is to committed to developing a better understanding of stormwater mechanisms and impacts, and using this understanding to create tools that will effectively and efficiently improve stormwater decision-making. The SMC develops and funds cooperative projects to improve the knowledge of stormwater quality management and reports on the progress of those projects on an annual basis. The SMC currently consists of the following members:

• • • • • County of Los Angeles, Department of Public Works

        • County of Orange, OC Public Works 

        • County of San Diego, Department of Public Works 

        • Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District 

        • San Bernardino County Flood Control District 

        • Ventura County Watershed Protection District 

        • City of Long Beach Public Works Department 

        • City of Los Angeles, Department of Public Works 

        • California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Santa Ana Region 

        • California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Los Angeles Region 

        • California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Diego Region 

        • State Water Resources Control Board 

        • California Department of Transportation 

        • Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) 

        • US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development (as a collaborating agency)

Stormwater agencies throughout southern California share many similar issues regarding trash monitoring and management, but to date there has been no coordinated effort to develop a consistent method of estimating loadings, understand pathways into the environment, and identify and prioritize sources for remediation at a watershed scale. Public agencies spend considerable amounts of money each year managing waterways by removing trash and implementing practices that prevent trash from entering into the environment. However, most management efforts focus on the abatement process without the complimentary source prevention and monitoring efforts to determine if the actions are making a difference on receiving waters. 

The goal of this project is to improve the SMC’s understanding and ability to manage trash in the environment at both regional and local scales. In part one of this project, the focus was directed towards informing the SMC about the extent and magnitude of trash impacts on southern California streams. 

For more information on this project, please contact Karin Wisenbaker or Aquatic Bioassay: karin@aquaticbioassay.com