Near-Field Receiving-Water Monitoring of Trace Metals and a Benthic Community Near the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant in South San Francisco Bay, California—2018
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- Document: Report (6 MB pdf)
- Related Works:
- Open-File Report 2016-1118 - Near-field receiving water monitoring of trace metals and a benthic community near the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant in south San Francisco Bay, California; 2015
- Open-File Report 2017-1135 - Near-field receiving water monitoring of trace metals and a benthic community near the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant in south San Francisco Bay, California; 2016
- Open-File Report 2018-1107 - Near-field receiving-water monitoring of trace metals and a benthic community near the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant in south San Francisco Bay, California—2017
- Open-File Report 2021-1079 - Near-Field Receiving-Water Monitoring of Trace Metals and a Benthic Community Near the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant in South San Francisco Bay, California—2019
- Open-File Report 2023-1017 - Near-Field Receiving-Water Monitoring of Trace Metals and a Benthic Community Near the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant in South San Francisco Bay, California—2020
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
Trace-metal concentrations in sediment and in the clam Macoma petalum (formerly reported as Macoma balthica), clam reproductive activity, and benthic macroinvertebrate community structure were investigated in a mudflat 1 kilometer south of the discharge of the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant (PARWQCP) in south San Francisco Bay, Calif. This report includes the data collected by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists for the period January 2018 to December 2018. These append to long-term datasets extending back to 1974. A major focus of the report is an integrated description of the 2018 data within the context of the longer, multi-decadal dataset. This dataset supports the City of Palo Alto’s Near-Field Receiving-Water Monitoring Program, initiated in 1994.
Significant reductions in silver and copper concentrations in both sediment and M. petalum occurred at the site in the 1980s following the implementation by PARWQCP of advanced wastewater treatment and source control measures. Since the 1990s, concentrations of these elements appear to have stabilized at concentrations somewhat above (silver [Ag]) or near (copper [Cu]) regional background concentrations. Data for other metals, including chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn), have been collected since 1994. Over this period, concentrations of these elements have remained relatively constant, aside from seasonal variation that is common to all elements. In 2018, concentrations of silver and copper in M. petalum varied seasonally in response to a combination of site-specific metal exposures and annual growth and reproduction, as reported previously. Seasonal patterns for other elements, including Cr, Ni, Zn, Hg, and Se, were generally similar in timing and magnitude as those for Ag and Cu. This record suggests that legacy contamination and regional-scale factors now largely control sedimentary and bioavailable concentrations of silver and copper, as well as other elements of regulatory interest, at the Palo Alto site.
Suggested Citation
Cain, D.J., Thompson, J.K., Parchaso, F., Pearson, S., Stewart, R., Turner, M., Shrader, K.H., Zierdt Smith, E.L., and Luoma, S.N., 2019, Near-field receiving-water monitoring of trace metals and a benthic community near the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant in south San Francisco Bay, California—2018: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2019–1084, 41 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20191084.
ISSN: 2331-1258 (online)
Study Area
Table of Contents
- Executive Summary of Past Findings
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Methods
- Results
- Summary
- Acknowledgments
- References Cited
- Appendixes
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | Near-field receiving-water monitoring of trace metals and a benthic community near the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant in south San Francisco Bay, California—2018 |
| Series title | Open-File Report |
| Series number | 2019-1084 |
| DOI | 10.3133/ofr20191084 |
| Year Published | 2019 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Publisher location | Reston, VA |
| Contributing office(s) | California Water Science Center, WMA - Earth System Processes Division, WMA - Laboratory & Analytical Services Division |
| Description | vi, 41 p. |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Other Geospatial | Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant |
| Online Only (Y/N) | Y |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |