Kenneth Schiff Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Some Simple Questions How have pollutant inputs changed? Is the ecosystem protected? Is it safe to eat the fish? Is it safe to swim? Fin Erosion Three Pivotal Studies Shift Management Attention To Runoff More pollutant mass from runoff than wastewater Regional Survey indicates that 95% of So Cal beaches meet bacterial water quality standards - Remaining 5% near flowing storm drains Epidemiology Study identifies increased swimmer illness near flowing storm drains Clean Beaches Initiative Grants The CWA Had an Impact Traditional pollutant inputs are much less than 40 years ago - Reduced impacts to biota The vast majority of beaches and seafood species meet standards - Some locations still require work Future issues will challenge the CWA framework - Emerging contaminants - Ocean acidification and hypoxia Data from NOAA: Aloha Buoy Solving Large-Scale Water Quality Threats Requires New Perspectives What is the relative impact of large-scale sources versus local sources? What new information is necessary for making decisions to adapt and protect our natural resources from large-scale sources? What management mechanisms are available to mitigate large-scale sources?