Clean Coastal Water
National, state, and local water quality agencies have limited ability to enforce current rules and laws and capacity to make changes needed to update outdated standards on emerging issues and consider climate change. There are opportunities to strengthen capacity and enhance water quality management actions for contaminants of emerging concern, nutrient pollution, sea level rise, and wastewater/stormwater treatment all to improve coastal water quality for people and nature. Coastal Quest is accelerating water quality solutions through our partnerships with state and local agencies. Read more about the projects below.
Our Projects
Piloting Tools to Assess State Water Quality Protection Areas
Coastal Quest has been partnering with the State Water Resources Control Board since 2022 to develop tools that support State Water Quality Protection Areas (SWQPAs). Click the buttons below to learn more about our partnership and explore our mapping tool!
Post-Fire Impacts on Water Quality and Infrastructure
Wildfires are increasing due to climate change. This has been particularly acute in California, where higher temperatures and drought have extended the wildfire season, impacting urban areas and wildlands and critical drink water supplies and infrastructure. However, there is limited understanding on post-fire effects of water quality, and even less that would inform coordinated regulation and policy at a regional and state-wide level. To address this, Coastal Quest is partnering with research institutes and local governments in California to develop a state-wide framework for monitoring post-fire impacts on water quality and infrastructure, pilot test the framework in fire impacted communities, and share the approach with other fire-impacted states and countries.