The Russian River Regional Monitoring Program (R3MP) activities, information, current materials, and the R3MP event calendar is hosted on the R3MP webpage.
Russian River Regional Monitoring Program (R3MP)
SFEI is leading the development of a governing body for the Russian River Regional Monitoring Program (R3MP) in coordination with the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (RB1) and with support from the Russian River Watershed Association (RRWA).
With abundant advice and review by key interests responsible for the health of the Russian River Watershed, this first phase of R3MP development will establish a Steering Committee (SC) and a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to develop a governance plan, prioritize regional monitoring objectives, formulate short- and long-term funding models, and produce the R3MP Charter.
The R3MP’s goal is to develop a coordinated, standardized, cost effective monitoring program that collects data and communicates information about surface water quality in the Russian River Watershed for the purpose of addressing management questions driven by regulatory goals and objectives.
The R3MP will initially focus on surface water monitoring within the Russian River Watershed to benefit the current Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) co-permittees under their watershed-based National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. The benefits will include:
• Better access to monitoring data and results;
• Better public reporting of monitoring reports;
• Better understanding of the effects of coordinated stormwater management on water quality throughout the watershed; and
• Better science to adjust the permit and management practices to improve their performance.
Discharges of storm water and other runoff from an MS4, particularly in an urbanized area, have a high potential to convey pollutants to receiving waters. Pollutants of concern in these discharges in the Russian River Watershed include heavy metals, indicator bacteria, nutrients (e.g., phosphorus and nitrogen), pesticides, petroleum hydrocarbons, and trash. A coordinated program that characterizes background levels of these pollutants across the watershed will provide valuable information to adaptively manage its overall health.
