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San Francisco Bay Toxics Project
 

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Map of United States showing SF DeltaSAN FRANCISCO BAY receives a broad range of organic and inorganic contaminants that vary widely in their sources, seasonality, toxicity, and environmental behavior. Despite an increasing awareness of potential problems, the effects of organic contaminants in the estuarine environment are not well understood. Since 1991, the USGS has been studying the fate and effects of these contaminants in San Francisco Bay as part of the Toxic Substances Hydrology Program. This study is referenced as the San Francisco Bay Toxics Project.

Map of CaliforniaTHE FATE AND EFFECTS of current-use pesticides are of particular concern. San Francisco Bay receives drainage from the Central Valley, an urban and agricultural region with intense and diverse pesticide use. Pesticides are transported from application sites into surface water through various mechanisms such as rainfall-runoff, irrigation, or release of field water. The concentrations of pesticides follow seasonal patterns that can often be related to location and timing of application, transport processes, and physical and chemical properties of the pesticide.

THIS WEB SITE is focused on the studies of the fate and effects of current-use pesticides in the estuary. The research is funded primarily by the USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program with additional support from other state and federal agencies.

MORE INFORMATION about the San Francisco Bay-Estuary Toxic Contaminants Project is available at the

Toxic Substances Hydrology Program

and is described in the USGS report:

Understanding the Human Influence on the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary Ecosystem: The Toxics Substances Hydrology Program and USGS Place-based Studies Program Provide Complementary Approaches and Results

To view this report you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. To download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader click here.

OTHER STUDIES that are part of the San Francisco Bay-Estuary Toxic Contaminants Project can be found at the following links:

USGS Water Quality of San Francisco Bay

USGS Ecology and Contaminants

USGS Research Site for SFPORTS

Toxic Substances Hydrology Program Home Page | Contact Us

How are we doing? Contact: webmaster@maildcascr.wr.usgs.gov
U.S. Department of Interior,   U.S. Geological Survey, http://ca.water.usgs.gov
URL: http://ca.water.usgs.gov/toxics/
Last modified: Wed Jan 02 2002
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