OC Watersheds Waterways Research
The mission of OC Watersheds is to support stewardship of our watersheds by protecting the beneficial uses of Orange County’s water resources. OC Watersheds is committed to environmental stewardship through the regulatory framework of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) monitoring programs with an added commitment to improving our understanding County specific environmental issues through advancements in water quality science. Water quality protection applies established scientific principles to set benchmarks for progress but the ever changing nature of water quality science also demands that our level of knowledge must grow to better understand our watersheds.
OC Watersheds has a strong commitment to advancements in water quality science through focused special studies to answer specific issues of concerns related to Orange County including participation in regional monitoring programs that involve southern California as a whole. Some of our special studies that help us to better understand our watersheds focus on the following issues: [please click on the link for further information]
- Pathogenic and Fecal Indicator Bacteria Contributions
- Coastal urbanized streams
- Beaches and closed embayments
- Natural Source Contributions
- Geologic Contributions to Urban Stormwater Runoff
- Stream Ecology Alteration Source Characterizations
- Hydromodification Effects on Water Quality
- Trash and Litter Monitoring Programs
- Invasive Aquatic Species
- New Zealand Mudsnails
- Giant Reed (Arundo donax)
- Environmental Toxicity Identification Evaluations
- Water quality impairment pollutant source characterization
- Sediment quality habitat degradation in coastal estuaries
- Effects of Urbanization on Stream Physical Habitat
- Biological Objectives
- Selenium contributions in waterfowl and trophic fish in Upper Newport Bay watershed
- Coastal stream benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages
OC Watersheds also works in cooperation with the following agencies on emerging water quality issues and environmental concerns for Southern California at the regional scale:
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