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Hosted/Impaired_Lines (FeatureServer)

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Service Description:

All Layers and Tables

Has Versioned Data: false

MaxRecordCount: 2000

Supported Query Formats: JSON

Supports Query Data Elements:

Layers: Description: This feature layer contains lines representing waterbody segments where water quality objectives are not being attained. The segments are listed under section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act as impaired due to a pollutant.  Alkalinity/Hardness Alkalinity measures the capacity of water to neutralize acids. High alkalinity increases ammonia toxicity by shifting ionized ammonia to un-ionized ammonia, which can cause stress, disease, and death in fish. Hardness measures the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium in water. High hardness values result in high pH, which causes scale buildup in pipes and residential appliances and increase toxic ammonia, which stresses fish. Low hardness values result in low pH, which is corrosive to metal pipes and increases metal toxicity to aquatic life. Aluminum Aluminum is a naturally occurring element and is the most common in the earth’s crust. Aluminum is considered non-essential to aquatic life since they do not need it to function. However, elevated levels of aluminum can affect some species ability to regulate ions which can affect essential functions like breathing and can lead to death in fish species. Biostimulatory Conditions Biostimulatory conditions (also referred to as biostimulatory substances), are water quality conditions that facilitate unwanted growth of aquatic plants, algae, and cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). Factors that affect biostimulatory conditions include nutrient loads, organic matter loads, light availability, temperature, physical habitat alteration and hydromodification. Harmful algal blooms of cyanobacteria can result from biostimulatory conditions and can cause harm to humans and animals through the production of cyanotoxins. Excess aquatic growth, commonly known as eutrophication, can dramatically alter oxygen levels in water and harm aquatic life.   Boron Boron is a non-metallic naturally occurring element found in rocks, soil and water. Boron can enter water bodies from both naturally occurring and human processes. Acute exposure can cause a variety of health impacts in humans and animals. Copper Copper is a naturally occurring element found in the earth’s crust. It is also found in mining operations and agricultural runoff. Dissolved copper in waterbodies binds to particulate matter to reduce bioavailability. Low pH and low hardness increase copper leaching from pipes. Increased bioavailability leading to high copper causes gill damage, reduces growth, and increases death in fish. Cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria hepatotoxic microcystins are a class of cyanotoxins that mainly affect the liver. Acute health effects from incidental ingestion or inhalation of microcystins include abdominal pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting and nausea, dry cough, diarrhea, liver inflammation and hemorrhage, and pneumonia. Cyanotoxins can also cause rashes, blisters, and other irritation through contact with the skin. Some scientific studies have implicated cyanotoxins with tumor growth promotion. Dissolved Oxygen Dissolved oxygen is the amount of oxygen that is present in water. Bodies of water receive dissolved oxygen from the atmosphere and aquatic plants. Faster waters typically hold more dissolved oxygen than still waters like a pond. Dissolved oxygen levels must meet a certain threshold for aquatic organisms to survive. Indicator Bacteria Indicator bacteria are used to measure the potential presence of fecal material and associated fecal pathogens. They are bacteria that are normally prevalent in the feces of warm-blooded animals including humans, farm animals, pets, and wildlife. High presence of indicator bacteria show that high levels of fecal matter may be in the water body, increasing the likelihood of human illness during water contact recreation. Manganese Manganese is a naturally occurring element that is an essential nutrient for humans and animals. Although it is an essential nutrient in low doses, chronic exposure to high doses can be harmful. These health effects depend on a variety of factors including the exposure pathway; chemical form; and the age and nutritional status of an exposed individual. In most cases high manganese concentration affects the human nervous system. Mercury Mercury often enters waterbodies from air sources like coal-fired power plants whose particulates settle into nearby waters or from legacy mining operations. Improper handling and disposal of products containing mercury could also release it into the air and water. When a waterbody is impaired for mercury, mercury can bioconcentrate in fish and other aquatic organisms. Their consumption poses a human health risk, particularly if the chemical form is methylmecury, which causes a variety of severe human illnesses. Nickel Nickel is a commonly occurring metal in surface waters. Certain conditions in the waterbodies may chemically alter nickel into a state that is toxic to living things. In this toxic state, nickel can affect tissue membranes like the gills of fish. Pesticides Pesticides—chemicals used to control insects, weeds, and fungi—can enter surface and groundwater through agricultural runoff, urban stormwater, and leaching from treated areas. In water systems, they often persist as both parent compounds and biologically active degradation products, threatening drinking water supplies and aquatic ecosystems by disrupting organism health and biodiversity. pH pH is an expression of hydrogen ion concentration in water. Low pH refers to acidic solutions, while high pH refers to basic solutions. The pH of a water body can alter the chemical state of many pollutants; this can increase exposure to and toxicity of metals and nutrients to aquatic plants and animals. Phosphorus Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for plant growth. Phosphorus is bound to sediment and can enter waterbodies from erosion. Excessive phosphorus load into waterbodies can cause increased growth of cyanobacteria, algae, and aquatic plants which can result in decreased levels of oxygen, which harms aquatic organisms. High levels of phosphorus can also lead to harmful algal blooms of cyanobacteria that can have negative impacts on human and animal health. Sediment Sediment pollution refers to suspended organic and inorganic matter that is largely contributed by erosion of soil. Sediment pollution can clog aquatic organism gills and impact their life cycle negatively. Sediment loads can also increase the cost of drinking water and can result in odor and taste problems. Additionally, toxic chemicals become attached to sediment particles that may be released into the environment. Sodium Sodium is a highly reactive and generally highly water-soluble metal that occurs in compounds with other elements in mineral deposits. Increased sodium may mobilize contaminants such as metals and nutrients, which can increase toxicity for aquatic life. High sodium concentrations in water can cause stress and death in fish. Specific Conductivity Specific conductivity is a measure of the ability of water to pass an electrical current. Because dissolved salts and other inorganic chemicals conduct electrical current, conductivity increases as salinity increases. Conductivity is also affected by temperature: the warmer the water, the higher the conductivity. Temperature Higher than ideal temperatures can cause issues for aquatic life in cold water habitats. Warmer waters also have decreased capacity for dissolved oxygen. Metals and other toxins are also more easily dissolved into warmer waters and can increase toxicity of some substances to aquatic organisms. Total Dissolved Solids Total dissolved solids are dissolved solids that may include organic and inorganic materials such as metals, minerals, salts, and ions.  A high concentration of total dissolved solids may affect water treatment and have adverse effects upon consumption. Levels of total solids that are too high or too low can also reduce the efficiency of wastewater treatment plants, as well as the operation of industrial processes that use raw water.   General Point of Contact:  Lance Le, Water Resource Control Engineer  Email: Lance.Le@waterboards.ca.gov   Integrated Report Contact:  Mary Bartholomew, Environmental Scientist Email: Mary.Bartholomew@waterboards.ca.gov   Description Sources: https://www.epa.gov/wqc https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/plans_policies/ https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/water_quality_assessment/

Service Item Id: 30781df8d31045568afd8c99d5f4295d

Copyright Text: These layers were generated by North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board staff Mary Bartholomew, Darby Radley, Lance Le and Megan Kownurko, a Corpsmember from the California Conservation Corps Watershed Stewards Program in partnership with AmeriCorps.

Spatial Reference: 3310  (3310)  LatestVCSWkid(0)


Initial Extent: Full Extent: Units: esriMeters

Document Info: Enable Z Defaults: true

Supports ApplyEdits With Global Ids: false

Supports Dynamic Layers: false

Child Resources:   Info   Relationships

Supported Operations:   Query   Query Contingent Values   Append   Get Estimates