Restore the Delta has been the fortunate recipient of training, technical and/or financial support from: San Francisco Baykeeper, the State Water Resources Control Board, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, CalEPA, data experts affiliated with Duke University and the University of North Carolina, and independent scientists to develop our harmful algal bloom (HABs) water quality monitoring program in 2022.
We established this program to help fill in data gaps for HABs in the Stockton area as well as highlight how HABs are an environmental justice and public health concern in the Delta region. We have also trained tribal and community partners in water quality testing for the Delta. Harmful algal blooms pose a serious threat to the Stockton community in the form of toxins released from blooms that can cause problems from skin rashes to liver problems. These toxins can also kill pets and deplete the dissolved oxygen, which ends up killing fish in the bloom-affected waters. Spencer Fern, Restore the Delta’s Delta Science Program Manager, along with our team of Climate Water Advocates, received training and supplies from the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, which has since translated into a multi-year monitoring program. We test using Abraxis test kits to test for Microcystis, the most common toxin found in the Stockton area of the Delta, to confirm if toxins could affect recreational activities.
During the summer months, we test several sites around Stockton, including locations along the San Joaquin River, the downtown Stockton Waterfront, and the end of the Smith Canal. These sites were chosen because of their proximity to disadvantaged communities and being some of Stockton’s only access points to the water. Weekly, our HABs Testing and Tracking Team go out to these sites roughly from May to September because blooms form in the summertime regularly due to higher water temperatures, more sunlight access, and drought conditions that worsen in the absence of wet years. We have also assisted with training tribal partners, community organizations, and fishing groups so that they can conduct their own testing. The main goal of this program is to be able to react to HABs as they form and inform the community with the best information for safety concerns. With various communities living near or on the Delta and utilizing its waterways for recreation, sustenance fishing, sportsfishing, tribal cultural practices, and irrigation, Restore the Delta’s focus is protecting these communities.
Restore the Delta also leads a subcommittee as part of Stockton’s AB 617 process to study how HABs contribute to area air pollution in vulnerable Delta communities.
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A Look Back Into 2024: How Did Flow Impact HABs in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta Region?
The California Data Exchange Center (CDEC) provides publicly available data for water flow from monitoring gauges within the Delta, which is the source for the flow charts in this document, and Restore the Delta uses this data consistently when available. Flow is one of the few things that water agencies can control when managing our Delta; it is imperative for the health of the Delta and its ecosystem, from reducing harmful algal bloom (HAB) activity to restoring fish populations. This blog post will highlight different locations around the Delta with available flow data to stress the importance of flow for mitigating HABs in the Delta.
Learn more about these findings from our Delta Science Program Manager, Spencer Fern.