Water Quality Monitoring

In order to estimate pollutant loads that enter receiving waters from Monterey County's storm drains and urbanized areas, RMA-Environmental Services performs water quality monitoring in locations throughout its regulated Phase II Permit-regulated areas in northern Monterey County.   Monitoring stormwater and non-stormwater discharges (such as irrigation overspray) from the County's urbanized areas is required under the following program areas: 

• ASBS Monitoring Program - Discharge samples from  locations along Scenic Road in Carmel that discharge into the Carmel Bay Area of Special Biological Significance (ASBS).  More information is available on the County's ASBS program page.
  
  
• 303(d) Monitoring Program  - Discharge samples from storm drain outfalls are collected an analyzed to quantify the County's  contribution to existing water quality impairments that have already been identified and are included on the State's 303(d) List of Impaired Waters;
                  
• TMDL Monitoring Programs - Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) programs are established on impaired water bodies to reduce the volume (load) of pollutants within a waterbody to a level that will restore its identified beneficial uses.  Discharges from the County's storm drain systems are analyzed to estimate loads of pollutants for which the County has been assigned an allocation for its regulated storm drain system.  Links at right provide more information on the TMDL programs that the County is currently responsible to implement.

In addition to the regulatory programs identified above, RMA Environmental Services may also monitor discharges when a report of an illicit discharge has been received, or when a suspect discharge has been identified.  The County's Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination responses are outlined more completely on the Spill Response Plan.