CCLEAN actively measures water quality stressors in the Monterey Bay. This includes measuring pollutants and nutrients in rivers, wastewater, sediments, ocean waters and mussel tissues. This map shows all of our current sampling sites.
Expand each area below for more detail about each type of sampling source, including locations, pollutants tested for and frequency of testing.
Locations | Method | Frequency |
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Four wastewater discharges (Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Monterey, Carmel) in effluent and four rivers (San Lorenzo, Pajaro, Salinas, Carmel) | 30-day flow proportioned samples using automated pumping equipment, solid-phase-extraction techniques for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) | Twice per year (wet season and dry season) |
Grabs of effluent for ammonia and nitrate, turbidity, temperature, conductivity, pH, urea, orthophosphate, dissolved silica and total suspended solids | Monthly |
Locations | Method | Frequency |
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Two nearshore background sites | 30-day time-integrated samples using automated pumping equipment and solid-phase-extraction techniques for: POPs, nitrate, ammonia, urea, orthophosphate and dissolved silica, total suspended solids, temperature, conductivity, pH, total and fecal coliform, enterococcus | Twice per year (wet season and dry season) |
Locations | Method | Frequency |
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Five rocky intertidal sites | One composite of 30-40 mussels for POPs, total and fecal coliform, and enterococcus | Twice per year (wet season and dry season) |
Locations | Method | Frequency |
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Three sites along the northern bight in outer Monterey Bay and three sites in inner Monterey Bay along 80-m contour | Single samples for benthic infauna, POPs, total organic carbon and grain size | Every five years in the fall |