Marina Del Rey TMDL Studies

The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board adopted a Toxics TMDL (total maximum daily load of contaminants) which targets metals and organics in the Marina del Rey Harbor. The pollutants addressed are copper, lead, and zinc for metals and total PCBs for organics. MBC assisted Brown and Caldwell with water quality monitoring, the collection of sediments for chemistry analysis, sediment toxicity collection and testing, the collection of bioaccumulation organisms and the enumeration of fish and invertebrate species.

Quarterly Sediment Chemistry Sampling was performed in accordance with the Coordinated Monitoring Plan (CMP) at four sediment stations located in the Back Basins for metals, and chlordane and total PCBs for organics. 

Semi-Annual Sediment Toxicity Sampling was performed concurrently with the sediment chemistry sampling in accordance with the CMP at four sediment stations located in the Back Basins. The ambient sediment toxicity testing utilized 3 types of marine organisms: Eohaustorius estuaries for amphipod testing, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus for sea urchin testing, Haliotis rufescens for abalone testing, and Mytilus spp. as an alternate bivalve larva.

Annual Bioaccumulation Monitoring was performed in accordance with the CMP. Bioaccumulation monitoring utilized tissues of the following aquatic species: mussels collected onsite by MBC biologist divers, and two demersal fish species collected by otter-board trawling from stations located in Basins D, E, and F. An inventory and enumeration of fish and invertegrates species captured during the annual trawling events was performed and reported.