DRAFT

Southern California Regional Watershed Assessment Framework

Robert Vos Michael Antos

Terri Hogue Mark Fenn

Carmen Milanes Stephanie Pincetl

Fraser Shilling Nancy L.C. Steele

Barbara Washburn

July, 2008

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Introduction

Understanding and communicating about watershed condition over the long-term is a critical

aspect of water and watershed management. There is currently no science-based, systematic

approach designed specifically to assess the health of watersheds in the Southern California

region. Assessment of progress in environmental management founded on investigation and

reporting of watershed conditions is crucial because activities and programs impacting the

watershed occur in numerous agencies and organizations. Many of these agencies and

organization do not have environmental management at the forefront of their missions.

Additionally, the lay public impacts the watershed, and relies on its services, in a multitude of

ways that are often unseen or misunderstood. Through assessment of watershed conditions,

cooperation and integration of environmental management for the region’s watersheds may be

promoted due in part to greater public awareness of the condition of the region’s watersheds.

Statewide Context: California Watershed Assessment Framework (WAF)

The California Watershed Assessment Framework

(WAF) offers a way to systematically identify and

organize information about watershed condition to

chart the progress in environmental management of

regional watersheds. It has become the foundation

for a broader statewide effort to develop regional

frameworks and indicators to assess watersheds

throughout the state. This Southern California

Regional Watershed Assessment Framework

(SCRWAF), as part of the statewide effort, adapts the

statewide framework (WAF) to the particular

challenges of the region.

The WAF was created by a steering committee, co-

chaired by the Resources Agency and California EPA. It adapted a United States EPA science

advisory board (SAB) report for use in California watersheds. It maintains the

comprehensiveness and scientific rigor of the SAB report. It goes beyond the SAB report by

recognizing and discussing the socio-economic component of watershed health. The California

WAF articulates seven essential attributes of watershed health for building indicators (Figure 1).

Figure 1 - Essential Watershed Attributes from CA WAF

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The California WAF and SAB describe a process for indicator

development that starts with definitions of goals and objectives for

environmental management of the watershed and moves down

through attributes, indicators and measures. Attributes summarize

essential ecological features of the watershed in, “a limited number

of discrete, but not necessarily independent categories” (SAB, 2002,

p. 36). Within each attribute, indicators depict discrete elements of

progress toward or movement away from the identified goals.

Linked to each indicator are one or more measures drawing on

watershed data to express the condition and/or trend in the

indicator. The California WAF and SAB both guide the development

of the SCRWAF architecture (Figure 2) and serve as a detailed

reference to check that attributes are covered.

Southern California Regional Watershed Assessment Framework

This regional framework articulates a vision and corresponding goals to aid development of

indicators and reporting mechanisms for assessing and communicating the health of the

regional watersheds. Following the WAF and SAB process, indicators will be designed to

express change in relation to goals and objectives in the region, and reporting mechanisms will

be designed to report an assessment of watershed health. Two major challenges for Southern

California are to diminish harm to distant source watersheds by reducing the import of water,

and to manage watershed health in the face of pressure from the highly urbanized and rapidly

urbanizing region. Broadly speaking, these issues will guide questions to be answered by the

assessment, ensuring relevance to the region.

The overarching purpose of the framework, indicators, and resulting assessments is to increase

public participation in environmental management of watersheds. In Southern California, there

is limited public engagement in watershed issues due in part to the way that the semi-arid

climate and the extensive flood control infrastructure in the region hides watersheds and their

functions from the public view. The aim is to have reporting systems for indicators developed

using the framework widely reported in the media, fostering public attention on watershed

functions.

Another purpose of this framework is to facilitate scientifically rigorous watershed assessments

throughout the region. By systematically reviewing attributes of watershed health, the

framework delivers a scientific foundation for indicator selection. It will provide a menu of

Figure 2 - SCRWAF Architecture

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indicators from which NGO’s and local governments doing assessments can select indicators

matched to available data or priority goals for specific stretches of regional watersheds. The

menu of indicators will in turn be linked to a unified scheme for reporting to the public. This

framework will also allow for consistent comparisons and reporting among various stretches of

watersheds in the region.

Local Context: Southern California Watersheds

This framework is designed for use in the

coastal watersheds that drain the

Southern California Bight (Figure 3). It

includes the entirety of Orange County,

and portions of the counties of San Diego,

Riverside, Los Angeles, San Bernardino,

Ventura and Santa Barbara. Over 18

million people live in these counties,

which cover over 40,000 square miles (US

Census Bureau, 2008). The watershed

area considered is just less than 12,000

square miles, and includes the Santa

Clara, Los Angeles, San Gabriel, Santa Ana,

and San Diego Rivers watersheds, among many others. The area shares a heavy reliance on an

imported water supply to augment withdrawal from numerous groundwater basins. The

watersheds in this area also experience similar ecological stressors from urbanization. The

climate is primarily Mediterranean (hot-summer, wet-winter), with steep rugged mountains

which, through atmospheric processes, ‘capture’ much of the ocean moisture during winter

storms. These mountains, that form the headwaters for streams in the region, are mostly

contained in National Forests. The historical ecology of the watersheds includes both fires and

floods.

Regional Vision and Goals for Southern California Watersheds

The first step in the assessment process is to articulate a vision and the corresponding goals for

the region. Throughout the region there are a considerable number of organizations and

agencies that are working on issues connected to Watershed Health. An investigation of

published reports and websites was made to uncover goals and objectives of a wide-array of

Figure 3 - Southern California Bight Reference Map

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stakeholders with institutional constancy, control, and interest in aspects of the region’s

hydrography. Goals and objectives were recorded and overlapping goals were noted. The

regional vision and goals identified below are derived from a broad synthesis of the goals and

objectives identified among these stakeholders. The vision and goals for this framework

capture most of the goals uncovered, with a focus on goals held in common by numerous

groups. Appendix A of this framework lists the groups, and reports in narrative and tabular

form on how each relates to the vision and goals.

The Vision for Southern California Watersheds

TO SUPPORT HEALTHY COMMUNITIES THROUGH RESTORING, PROTECTING

AND BUILDING VITAL ECOSYSTEM AND WATERSHED FUNCTIONS .

Southern California Watersheds need improvement and restoration of natural structure and

function to benefit natural and human communities. Appropriate integration of natural and

human landscapes will achieve an overall improvement in the quality of life for communities by

seeking multiple benefits, including reliable water supply, improved water quality, restored

habitat, and recreation.

Goals in Southern California Watersheds are:

To improve and protect the services that watersheds provide to meet human needs and

enhance human quality of life in the region

To protect and increase local water supply reliability

To restore and preserve a diversity of native habitat types to support fish and wildlife

To discover and maintain a balance of natural disturbance patterns with the needs of

human and natural communities

Elements of the Regional Watershed Assessment Framework

To assess Southern California watersheds relative to this vision and these goals, the regional

watershed assessment framework is comprised of several elements. First, there is

development of a menu of indicators based upon a systematic review of the essential ecological

attributes of watersheds. Specific measures for these indicators will later be developed as the

framework is tested in a specific stretch of the regional watershed (i.e., a “sub-watershed”).

Once this process is complete, a guide for selecting, applying, and reporting the indicators for

sub-watersheds throughout the region will be produced to complete the framework.

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Essential Watershed Attributes

To derive a menu of indicators for Southern California watersheds, an important step is to

consider each goal in relation to the six essential attributes of watersheds as defined by the

EPA, SAB Report on Watershed Assessment. These essential watershed attributes are:

landscape condition, natural disturbance, hydrology / geomorphology, ecological processes,

chemical / physical properties, biotic conditions. The California Watershed Assessment

Framework extends the list to a seventh attribute: socio-economic conditions. Examination of

each of these attributes in relation to the goal and objectives for the region will yield a subset

of indicators that report on progress for improving functions in Southern California watersheds.

The menu of potential indicators reflects the overall needs and goals of the Southern California

region. From this menu, each application of the framework will select and adapt an

appropriate set of indicators for specific study areas.

Attribute - Landscape Conditions

The landscape conditions attribute describes the characteristics of the natural and urbanized

land surfaces and how they shape and impact the hydrologic function of the watershed. This

includes natural topographic variation, human modification and amenities, habitat extent and

fragmentation, and other surface conditions. Biological assessments included in landscape

conditions are done at the largest geographic scale among the essential ecological attributes

that touch on biology (e.g., ecological processes and biotic condition). Many other attributes

touch on landscape condition, as it is the base of the watershed structure and function.

Role of Landscape Conditions in Regional Goals

In the Southern California region, landscape conditions impact the ability for local groundwater

resources to be replenished by precipitation, detracting from the local waters supply. The

extent of impervious surface in the landscape is the primary factor. However the dynamics of

those impervious surfaces and their relationship to infrastructure and soil conditions must be

assessed to understand how the landscape impacts infiltration.

The health of human and natural communities also relies upon flood conditions. Alterations in

landscape conditions cause a change from the natural conditions at peak flow, usually causing

larger volumes to crest sooner after peak precipitation, which then travel faster in the natural

or infrastructural drainage system. These peak flows (or infrastructural response to them)

threaten habitat and human life and property.

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The Southern California watershed landscape condition is also marked by fragmentation that

harms native habitat and human communities. Native species habitat is reduced in spatial

extent, and often fragmented by development. The connectivity of both the stream bed, for

aquatic habitat, and the stream bank for riparian habitat should be considered. Fragmentation

in the built environment surrounding streams (e.g., fences, roads, channels, etc.) should also be

considered in relation to human communities. Connectivity is important in terms of access to

recreation, walkability, and the role it plays in creating the social fabric of human community.

Indicators of Landscape Conditions in Southern California

Surface flow captured by landscape for potential groundwater recharge

o Measures:

Impervious surface % *Precipitation = runoff

Precipitation – runoff = capture + ET

Impact of altered landscapes on timing and volume of peak flow (severity of peak flow

curve modification from altered landscapes)

o Possible Measures:

Impervious surface runoff coefficient compared to pre-development

runoff coefficient (slope/soil measurement?)

extent and fragmentation of native habitat types

extent, access, and connectivity for recreation, walkability and bikeability on the

waterways

the fragmentation or connectivity of the social landscape created by the built

environment in and around streams

o Possible Measures:

Distance to nearest pedestrian crossing of waterway or waterway

infrastructure

Extent of “hard edges” impeding the social landscape.

Attribute - Natural Disturbance

The attribute for natural disturbance recognizes the dynamics of short- and long-term cyclical

events in ecological and physical systems. Watersheds and their dependent ecosystems

depend upon periodic and significant events that disrupt and alter basic system conditions,

including physical structure and substrates, population structure, and community dynamics.

Such events include wind and ice storms, wildfires, floods, drought, insect infestations,

microbial or disease outbreaks, earthquakes, and landslides and debris flows. The frequency,

intensity and extent of these events form a "disturbance" regime in each watershed that is

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responsible for maintaining the dependent ecosystem over long time spans. With knowledge

of the physical history, specific elements in the natural disturbance regime within a watershed

can be estimated as a reference condition, serving as a crucial benchmark for evaluation of the

sustainability of the watershed and ecosystem.

Role of Natural Disturbance in Regional Goals

In Southern California, assessment of natural disturbance is necessary to achieve the objective

to restore and maintain the balance of natural disturbance patterns with the needs of human

and natural communities. Specific natural disturbance events of interest in Southern California

watersheds are fires, floods, and drought. Because Southern California watersheds are highly

urbanized, they are unlikely to make anything close to a return to reference or pre-

development conditions. In some cases, natural disturbance regimes are mitigated (e.g.,

floods, fire) to meet the needs of the large human communities in the region. However, it is

critical to understand the role that natural disturbance plays in achieving the over-arching goal

of building and maintaining vital watershed functions. Through education and assessment,

human communities can also find benefits from allowing limited re-establishment of natural

disturbance regimes. In some cases, specific environmental management activities may also

seek to replicate the impact of natural disturbances on the ecosystem without endangering

human communities.

Many of southern California’s ecosystems are dependent on fire to maintain plant reproduction

and healthy communities. However, decades of fire suppression have resulted in unnaturally

large fuel loads and, when conditions are conducive, extensive and destructive wildfires.

Watersheds affected by wildfires experience increased erosion rates, debris flows, degraded

water quality, and channel alterations (e.g. scour, bed mobilization and deposition). The

increasing severity (temperature and extent) of wildfires at the urban-wildland interface has

resulted in most or all of these processes being heightened and has increased the likelihood of

negative impacts on downstream populations and ecosystems. Regular and sustainable fire

regimes, with increased frequency but reduced intensity, diminish the overall severity of fires as

well as the related impacts.

Functional channels and floodplains reduce flood peaks and velocities, improve recharge and

lessen impacts on downstream systems. Periodic, natural floods adjust and maintain sediment

loads and healthy channel and stream systems. Most of southern California watersheds have

been artificially altered and include reduced floodplain structure and channelized flow systems.

Revitalization of floodplain and channel function will significantly advance watershed function

and dependent ecosystem communities, while also improving watershed aesthetics. Southern

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California also experiences periodic droughts, earthquakes, insect infestation and other lesser

observed disturbances (wind storms, ice storms, etc.). Understanding historical dynamics and

disturbance interactions will allow for improved management of necessary disturbance

regimes.

Indicators of Natural Disturbance in Southern California

Fire frequency and intensity (temperature, extent)

Frequency and duration of catastrophic insect infestations

Landslide frequency (or a vulnerability index based on slope, vegetation, soils, fire

damage, etc.??)

Flood frequency

Drought periods (defined by PDSI/or using U.S. Drought Monitor (NOAA?))

Cooling Degree Days (days over 100 ?)

Attribute - Hydrology/geomorphology

The hydrology/geomorphology attribute describes the dynamic interaction between landforms

and water, including the relationship between surface waters, soil moisture, and ground

waters. The hydrologic cycle includes the balance of water added, transported, stored and lost

from the watershed. The geomorphic patterns inscribed by water as it moves through the cycle

provide the stage upon which a watershed’s biology is played out. Thus,

hydrology/geomorphology is fundamental to watershed health.

Role of Hydrology/geomorphology in Regional Goals

In the Southern California region, hydrology/geomorphology is particularly important to the

objective to protect and increase local water supply reliability. Generally, the overall water

balance in the region’s watersheds is predicated upon imported water. The needs of the region

outstrip the natural local water supply; a supply also greatly reduced by paving and flood

control measures which diminish the intensity and extent of infiltration from surface to ground

water. Groundwater basins are to some extent used as a hedge against risks to imported water

like droughts and earthquakes. However, adequate replenishment of groundwater is

challenging because of reduced infiltration. Sub-objectives here include: a.) Encouraging

increased replenishment of groundwater while preventing contamination; b.) Preventing

saltwater intrusion in ground water aquifers; and c.) Remediating existing groundwater

contamination (including desalting).

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The Southern California hydrology/geomorphology is also important to the objective to protect

and restore a diversity of habitat types for watersheds. The extent and patterns of human

settlement have greatly altered water flow and sediment transport. Extensive concrete

channelization of rivers and streams speeds rainwater to the ocean, leaving it unavailable to

support habitats. Ironically, in some rivers and streams, dry weather flows of imported water

from irrigation or treated wastewater are now crucial to supporting habitats. To protect and

restore a diversity of habitat types requires a hydrology/geomorphology that is sufficient to

create the dynamic and variable structures that can support various habitats.

Indicators of Hydrology/geomorphology in Southern California

Water storage (aquifer storage capacity vs. unused capacity)

Water storage (aquifer storage filled with “clean” water vs. contaminated water)

Net recharge/withdrawals (water year)

Detention/retention basin capacity vs. bio-retention capacity

Extent and diversity of soft bottom conditions in rivers and streams.

Water flow dynamics adequate to support diverse habitats (e.g., volume, rate, and

seasonality).

Sediment and material flows adequate to support diverse habitats.

Per capital water use

local (native) vs. imported source for delivered

Attribute - Ecological Processes

Ecological processes are the metabolic functions --energy and material flow --in the watershed.

Biological processes could be reported here, but instead are included under the biotic attribute

condition in this framework. The flows of energy and materials warrant separate reporting as

they are the foundation for the biology of the watershed. Assessment of energy flow may draw

upon measures of ecosystem productivity, which are scientifically mature and well understood.

Assessment of material flows may include some of the same constituents of concern in the

chemical/physical properties attribute (e.g., Nitrogen or Phosphorous), but with a focus on how

they are processed by the watershed. For example, a budget that expresses how much of a

given material enters and leaves a sub-watershed, and ability of the sub-watershed to handle

that material. In general, evaluating the condition of this aspect of watershed health means

measuring the rates and extents of natural processes relative to goals for those processes.

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Role of Ecological Processes in Regional Goals

Where hydrology represents the blood flow through the watershed arteries and veins,

ecological processes represent respiration. One way to measure the condition of this attribute

is through energy and material budgets for specific timeframes and spatial extents. Because a

large proportion of Southern California watersheds are heavily disturbed by human activities,

most ecological processes will be correspondingly affected. Objectives for ecological processes

in these watersheds include a) improving stream and riparian functioning in processing excess

nitrogen and phosphorous, b) maintaining natural primary and secondary production needed to

support native fish and wildlife, and c) maintaining and improving energy and material flows

through natural food webs.

Protecting and restoring ecological processes will require a combination of structural and

functional activities. For example, providing ample space for riparian vegetation growth in the

flood plains will permit energy and material processing by this plant community type. Managing

runoff and other inputs to terrestrial and aquatic communities to reflect natural seasonal cycles

will allow natural energy and materials flows to occur in these communities. Controlling

nutrient and other pollutant inputs to regional watersheds permits the recovery of species and

nutrient cycles to more natural conditions.

Indicators of Ecological Processes in Southern California

Net ecosystem production (carbon fixation, flux, and storage)

Gross and net primary production (carbon fixation and respiration rates)

Nutrient cycling (nitrogen and phosphorous turn-over among ecosystem compartments)

Growth limiting factor analysis (e.g., light, nutrient, space)

Attribute - Chemical/Physical Properties

The attribute Chemical / Physical Properties includes focused measures of chemical substances

in the water and physical parameters (e.g., temperature). Many of them typically receive

attention because they are the subject of pollution control laws (e.g., the Clean Air Act, the

Clean Water Act, etc.). They are of interest in the assessment because outside of particular

ranges, they stress the health of human and/or natural communities. Major categories of

chemical/physical properties include nutrient concentrations, trace inorganic and organic

chemicals, other chemical parameters (e.g., pH), and physical parameters (e.g., temperature,

water turbidity, etc.).

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In watershed assessment, the focus may well be on chemical/physical properties in the water

itself. However, it may be important to inventory properties in sediment, soil, or air as well.

Depending upon the constituent, it may be important to integrate reporting across all three

environmental compartments (e.g., atmospheric deposition). The focus for this attribute is

fundamental reporting on concentration and condition. Most are related to the protection of

aquatic life, however, some suggested indicators relate to human uses of the surface water for

fishing and swimming.

Role of Chemical/Physical Properties in Regional Goals

Two regional monitoring programs are underway in the San Gabriel and Los Angeles Rivers

watershed. Each seeks to assess water quality using the following questions as a guide to the

investigation:

1. What is the condition of streams in the watershed?

2. Are conditions at areas of unique interest getting better or worse?

3. Are receiving waters near discharges meeting water quality objectives?

4. Is it safe to swim?

5. Are locally-caught fish safe to eat?

The spectrum of regional water quality concerns can be seen within this list. The need to meet

regulatory objectives, the need for body-contact recreation safety, and the need to protect

ecologically important or fragile areas are all part of the regional perspective on

Chemical/Physical Properties.

Indicators of Chemical/Physical Properties in Southern California

Suggested Indicators for Physical Conditions

Turbidity, the major cause of water quality impairment around the nation and in many

areas of California as well.

Temperature &/or DO, associated with low flows and destruction of riparian canopy.

Canopy cover, one of the physical habitat assessment attributes measured as part of the

California Bioassessment protocol

Riparian buffer area or width, including measurement of connectivity. Protection of the

riparian buffer provides numerous water quality and aquatic habitat values. This metric

can be conducted as a desktop GIS exercise.

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Suggested indicators for Chemical Conditions

Pyrethroids in water and sediment, the major class of chemicals currently in use in non-

agricultural settings

Coliform bacteria levels

Copper concentrations in water (a highly toxic metal and surrogate for other metals)

Nutrients (N, P)

Water and sediment toxicity (a general umbrella for the presence of any kind of

contaminant).

Chemicals in tissues of key fishes (trends in the concentration (ug/g fish tissue) of key

chemicals of concern such as Hg, DDT, As, PCBs.

Attribute - Biotic Conditions

The biotic conditions attribute describes the structure and composition of biota at a scale

below the landscape level. It may include measures at scales ranging from ecosystem

community to particular species, and down to the level of individual organisms. Assessments of

condition at the level of ecosystem community assess the "biotic integrity" of a given

assemblage of species that are tied together by similar environmental features. Assessments

should bear in mind both total species diversity and native species diversity. Species or

population level assessments provide an inventory of size, structure and dynamics for a given

species population. Measurement often focuses on "focal" species that are disproportionately

important to the overall health of the watershed. In cases where species are imperiled by

extinction, assessment may also be critical at the level of individual organisms.

Role of Biotic Conditions in Regional Objectives

This section is not yet written.

Indicators of Biotic Conditions in Southern California

This list of indicators is still under consideration.

Attribute - Economic/Social Conditions

The attribute of economic/social conditions describes the relationship of human communities

with the watershed. Watersheds often play an essential role in creating a sense of place for

social interactions and community-building. Recreational activities like birding, biking, hiking,

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fishing, boating, and swimming are among those rooted in a watershed. Watersheds also

undergird the economy by providing drinking water, water for industry, and supporting

recreational and fishing economies. Watersheds may also provide special economic potential

for commercial land development (or redevelopment) and increased local tax revenue. Often,

watershed assessments fail to appreciate the relationship between watersheds and human

communities that live in them. The California Watershed Assessment Manual calls for

particular attention to the integration of economic and social conditions with the physical and

biological indicators described above.

Role of Economic/Social Conditions in Regional Goals

The goal to improve and protect watershed services for human needs and quality of life is

most relevant in measuring social/economic conditions. In Southern California, several specific

areas of human need and quality of life emerge in conjunction with watersheds.

One particular area of concern is adequate recreational open space with equitable access. Low

income and minority communities in the Southern California region lack adequate access to

recreational open space. Watershed restoration efforts can play a role in creating increased

access. Watershed restoration efforts also can play a role in providing community access to

lush (wet) natural environments. Such access could improve social acceptance of less water-

intensive landscaping, like restoration of native vegetation in other parts of the community.

The headwaters for the region emanate from National Forests that already provide significant

recreational opportunities.

In Southern California, watershed projects also play an important role in the built environment

of adjoining communities. Fencing and concrete channelization may act as a "hard edge" that

divides the human landscape. Watershed flood control infrastructure is often a target for

graffiti, litter, or illegal dumping. Economic revitalization may occur with redevelopment of

residential, commercial or industrial land in the watershed (e.g., the Los Angeles river

"revitalization" effort). For example, "day lighting" of streams that have been tunneled under

the urban fabric may provide a new community resource. The presence of flowing water, and

landscape design around water elements, may be an important part of economic revitalization

efforts. Aesthetic beauty is challenging to specify as an indicator, but plays a role in the quality

of life experienced through the watershed.

In Southern California, consideration of watersheds in terms of transportation planning is also

key. Watershed projects provide opportunities for pedestrian paths, bike trails, and mass

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transit that avoid grade conflicts with existing road infrastructure. In many cases, existing rail

and trail projects are already closely coordinated with rivers and major tributaries.

In terms of meeting human needs in Southern California communities, it is also important to

reduce the threat of flooding with watershed restoration projects. Despite wide-spread

channelization of rivers and streams, recent reports and flood plain management plans for the

Southern California region identify needs for improved flood control. Adequate flood control as

balanced with existing land use is an important aspect of a community's relationship with the

watershed.

The need for communities to participate in making plans and policies for their watersheds is

less tangible but also an important aspect in integrating the physical and biological assessment

of the watershed with economic/social attributes. Educational outreach is important to create

informed participation in decision-making, and also to encourage public participation in

watershed restoration (e.g., reducing litter, conserving water, volunteer clean-ups, etc.).

Indicators of Economic/Social Conditions in Southern California

Assessment of potential and realization of recreational opportunities for swimming,

boating, and/or fishing.

Assessment of potential and realization of recreational open space access in land

adjoining major tributaries and rivers.

Amount of low-impact development in the watershed.

Assessment of presence of urban blight in the watershed landscape.

Assessment of levels educational outreach and civic engagement in the watershed.

Recent numbers of flooding and wildfire incidents.

Models for risks of flooding and wildfire (potential economic damage)

Economic models of impacts of watershed management on adjacent land values.

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Appendix A

The efforts already underway within the Region were a natural starting place when creating this

Framework. The stated goals from the wide group of stakeholders in regional watersheds are

identified and explored in this Appendix (in narrative and tabular form). Once a sub-watershed

is selected for analysis, stakeholders at local or community levels will also be identified. For the

initial phase, the focus was on understanding goals across the entire region. Thus, the focus is

on stakeholders with institutional constancy and control or interest in wider aspects of the

region’s hydrography. These stakeholders also maintain and develop data that will be of use in

measuring indicators later in the project. The following are the stakeholders investigated thus

far:

Researched Regional Actors / Plans

Amigos de Los Ríos

Aquarium of the Pacific

Arroyo Seco Foundation

ARTScorpsLA

Audubon Society

Beach Water Quality Working Group

California Department of Water Resources

California Office of Environmental Health and Hazard

Assessment

California Department of Forestry and Fire

Protection (CalFIRE)

City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power

City of Los Angeles Integrated Resources Plan

City of Los Angeles River Master Plan

Coastal Commission

Contaminated Sediments Task Force

Earth Resource Foundation

Friends of the Los Angeles River

Green LA Coalition

Green Visions Plan

Heal the Bay

Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed

Council

Los Angeles County Department of Public Works,

Watershed Management Division

Los Angeles County Integrated Watershed

Management Plan

Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust

Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board

Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board –

MTBE Task Force

Los Angeles Weed Management Area

Metropolitan Water District

Ocean Protection Council

Pacoima Beautiful

Rio Hondo Watershed Management Plan

San Gabriel & Lower Los Angeles Rivers and

Mountains Conservancy

Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission

Southern California Association of Governments

Southern California Coastal Water Research Project

Southern California Ocean Observing System

Southern California Water Replenishment District

Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project

State Water Resources Board

Surfrider

The River Project

United States Army Corps of Engineers

United States Forest Service

United States Geological Survey

Urban Semillas

Urban Wildlands Group

Verde Coalition