CONTRACT SUMMARY

This information will be made available to the public on the State Water Resources Control Board’s (SWRCB) Website.

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Date filled out:4/3/01

A) Project Information Please use complete phrases/ sentences. Fields will expand as necessary as you type.
1.  Project Title: Morro Bay National Monitoring Program:
Nonpoint Source Pollution and Treatment Measure Evaluation
2.  Project Purpose – Problem / Goals ("why" the project): The Morro Bay estuary was declared a National
Estuary in 1995 and is well recognized as an important local, state, and national resource. At the same time,
it is impacted by pollutants, mainly sediment, causing the estuary to fill in at an accelerated rate.
The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness of BMPS in reducing nonpoint source pollution.
3. Project Abstract (brief description of project): This project focuses on:
a) Characterization of current sedimentation and water quality conditions in a portion of the Chorro Creek Watershed. This is being accomplished through sediment and water sample analyses conducted pre-BMP and post-BMP as part of a paired watershed study (using Walters Creek as a control creek and Chumash Creek as a treatment creek).
b) Evaluation of the effectiveness of a set of selected BMPs in improving water and habitat quality in one of the paired watersheds (Chumash Creek).
c) Evaluation of the effectiveness of rangeland BMPs in improving range and stream quality on the Maino Ranch in the Chorro Creek Watershed.
5. Which SWRCB program is funding this project? Please put an "X" by the one that applies.
Prop 13 X EPA 319h grant
B) Project Contact:
Name: Lynn E. Moody / Job Title: Assistant Professor
Organization: Earth and Soil Sciences Department
California Polytechnic State University / Webpage Address:
Address: 1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
Phone: (805) 756-2807 / Fax number: (805) 756-5412
Email:
C. Project Time Frame: Includes pre- and post- BMP implementation and monitoring periods of project.
From: 1993 / To: 2002
D) Participant Information: Name all agencies/groups involved with project. : Regional Water Quality Control Board; California Polytechnic State University; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; private landowner
E) Location: San Luis Obispo, California
1. Size of Project (include units): 48,450 acres(about 76 square miles) / 2. Counties included in project: San Luis Obispo

F) Biography of Group: N/A

G) Biography of Project: : Studies conducted in the 1980s indicated that Morro Bay had lost 25% of its tidal volume in the previous 100 years. The concern that the estuary could be lost within 300 years lead to the current study to evaluate the effectiveness of BMPs in reducing erosion on rangeland. The Morro Bay National Estuary Program and participating local efforts are implementing BMPs throughout the watershed to address sedimentation, and other nonpoint sources of pollution.

H) Short-term Goals: : To demonstrate that Best Management Practices, especially related to
cattle grazing, reduce nonpoint source pollution.
I) Long-term Goals: : Having met the short-term goal, the long-term goals include transferring
the results of the study to the public, and encouraging local land owners and land managers to adapt
BMPs to improve water and range quality.

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