Regional Coordination

group of people gathered at water’s edge
Watershed coordination and collaboration is necessary to protect resources and improve water quality. Photo: Bridget Hoover/NOAA

Recognizing that water quality is key to ensuring protection for all sanctuary resources, a memorandum of agreement was signed in 1992 and updated in 2006 and 2015, then amended in 2020 by eight federal, state, and local agencies agreeing to work together to implement the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Water Quality Protection Program (WQPP). Today, the WQPP is dedicated to protecting and enhancing water quality in the sanctuary and its watersheds, using a collaborative approach involving key stakeholders.

The WQPP framework for a regionally integrated and continuous coordination on water quality issues and watershed management includes funding priorities, education, technical assistance, monitoring and data exchange, permit review, and enforcement. Bringing together data and information from many sources to meet regulatory requirements will provide communities with the comprehensive information needed to assess water quality conditions, improve practice effectiveness, and guide successful management of central coast water resources.

Assessment questions developed by Monterey Bay area dischargers include:

  1. How does water quality within the program area compare to applicable water quality standards and relevant indicator parameters?
  2. What are the concentrations and loads of constituents of concern in discharges to the program area?
  3. What are the specific sources of constituents from the discharges that may be contributing to the identified receiving water problems?
  4. Are biological communities affected by water quality conditions within the program area?
  5. How are water quality conditions within the program area changing over time?
  6. How are water quality conditions in discharges to the program area changing over time?

Offshore areas of the sanctuary are in relatively good condition, but nearshore coastal areas, harbors, lagoons, estuaries, and tributaries show a number of problems including elevated levels of coliform bacteria, detergents, oils, nitrates, sediments, and persistent pesticides such as DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane). These contaminants can have a variety of biological impacts including bioaccumulation, reduced recruitment of anadromous species, algal blooms, transfer of human pathogens, and interference with recreational uses of the sanctuary due to beach postings and closures. The problem intensifies with population growth and urbanization as more development alters natural water processes and creates more impervious surface areas. For more information on the WQPP, contact the sanctuary's water quality staff [link to 1.3] .