The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, Sacramento, California has developed a watershed based water quality initiative program devoted to defining the toxic conditions that exist in the Sacramento River and its tributaries. For the purposes of this study, toxics include toxic chemicals such as heavy metals, various organics, pesticides, herbicides, pathogenic organism indicators and pathogens such as coliforms, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, enteroviruses, toxic precursors for domestic water supplies including dissolved organic carbon and bromide, nitrate and other constituents of groundwater and excessive fertilization that leads to deteriorated water quality through excessive algae or other aquatic plants. In addition to water column issues there is also consideration being given to contaminated sediments.

Of particular concern in these studies are the sources of toxicity due to pesticides associated with agricultural activity in the watershed and from urban areas, mine wastes from former mining activities, sources of dissolved organic carbon, Cryptosporidium and mercury as they may impact the beneficial uses of waters within the Sacramento River System, Sacramento/San Joaquin River Delta and San Francisco Bay as well as downstream uses of the waters for domestic water supply purposes.

The Sacramento River system provides domestic water supply for about 20 million people. It is an important recreational asset to the region and downstream thereof. The overall program is a watershed based, stakeholder managed water quality evaluation and management program.

An Evaluation Monitoring approach is being used which focuses on finding real, significant water quality use impairments, determining the cause of these impairments and the source of the constituents responsible for them. This, in, turn leads to technically valid, cost effect approaches for managing water quality impacts associated with urban area, highway and agricultural stormwater runoff.

Dr. Lee has been active in Sacramento River/San Joaquin River Delta water quality issues since 1989. He is currently serving as a technical resource to the Sacramento River Watershed Toxic Control Program where he has developed a number of papers and reports that discuss issues that should be considered in identifying, evaluating the significance of and managing toxic constituents in the Sacramento River Watershed and downstream. Further information about the work of Dr. Lee is also available.

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