standard trash monitoring methods for...

Standard Trash Monitoring Methods for California

Terra Miller-Cassman1, Theresa Sinicrope Talley2, Ted Von Bitner1

1Amec Foster Wheeler, 2California Sea Grant

March 14, 2018

California Trash Amendments 2015

Highlight the need for standardized trash monitoring protocols

San Diego Bay Debris Study

(2013-2016)

• Development of methods & first

comprehensive survey of bay and watershed

receiving waters

• Focus on plastics and public engagement

3

San Diego Bay Debris Study

Stakeholder Workgroup

Technical

Advisors

Dr. Sherry Lippiatt

California Regional

Coordinator at NOAA Marine

Debris Program

Dr. Brock Bernstein

Independent Consultant

Program Design and

Evaluation

Shelly Moore, M.S.

Bight ‘13 Marine Debris

Lead Scientist

San Diego Bay Debris Study

Monitoring and Assessment Framework

4

Condition Assessment

Stressor Identification Source Identification

Performance Evaluation

San Diego Regional Board, Practical Vision 2013

San Diego Bay

Methods: Establish Survey Area

6

5 m

Wrackline Transect

30 m

30 m

Vegetation

Transect

5 m

Beach

Mudflats/Saltmarsh

Riverine

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Methods: Characterize Site & Collect Debris

Methods: QA/QC

• Standard Operating Procedures

(SOPs)

• Intercalibration among all team leads

• Field team performance audits

• Recounts

• 100% data validation review

• CEDEN format = Comparability

8

Results

Implementation Framework

9

Condition Assessment

Stressor Identification Source Identification

Performance Evaluation

San Diego Regional Board, Practical Vision 2013

10

Results: Stressor Identification

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Mudflat/Saltmarsh Rip-Rap Beach River

Me

an

De

ns

ity (

No

. It

em

s/m

2)

Bags (single use plastic)

Cigarette Butts

Wrappers (food and other)

Persistent Plastics (hard and soft plasticpieces)Polystyrene Foam Pellets, Pieces, &Cups

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

Chollas Sweetwater Otay

Challenges

• Resources

• Lack of standardized methods for varied receiving water environments

• Range of stakeholders and desired outcomes = complex methods required to collect data

Future programs should prepare for new environments and priorities:

• Lagoons, sensitive habitats, non-wadeable perennial streams

• Source identification

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Advantages

1) Comparable, Compatible Data across Ecosystem

Type, Location & Time

► Methods incorporated standard methods from:

► (Riverine) SWAMP Rapid Trash Assessment

► (Shoreline) NOAA Marine Debris Program

► (Marina) Automated trash skimmers

► (Open Water) So Cal Bight Program Trawls

► Adapted for varied strata, but data remained

comparable

2) Conducive to Citizen Science Efforts

3) Inform Local Management Priorities and Actions

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Project Scientists

Dr. Ted Von Bitner, Amec Foster Wheeler

Terra Miller-Cassman, Amec Foster Wheeler

Dr. Theresa Talley, California Sea Grant

Travis Pritchard, San Diego Coastkeeper

Chad Loflen, San Diego RWQCB

Heather Krish, City of San Diego

Christiana Boerger, US Navy

Project Management, SWAMP

Dr. Betty Fetscher

Dr. Lilian Busse

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Questions

Terra Miller-Cassman

Amec Foster Wheeler, Environment and

Infrastructure

9177 Sky Park Court, San Diego CA, 92672

(858) 514-7753

terra.millercassman@amecfw.com

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