Regional Studies in Marine Science ( ) – Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Regional Studies in Marine Science journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rsma The Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay, California, USA: Science in support of managing water quality P.R. Trowbridge a,* , J.A. Davis a , T. Mumley b , K. Taberski b , N. Feger b , L. Valiela c , J. Ervin d , N. Arsem e , A. Olivieri f , P. Carroll g , J. Coleman h , P. Salop i , R. Sutton a , D. Yee a , L.J. McKee a , M. Sedlak a , C. Grosso a , J. Kelly a a San Francisco Estuary Institute, 4911 Central Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804, United States b San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board, 1515 Clay Street, Oakland, CA 94612, United States c U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX, 75 Hawthorne St, San Francisco, CA 94105, United States d San Jose-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility, 700 Los Esteros Road, San Jose, CA 95134, United States e East Bay Municipal Utility District, P.O. Box 24055, Oakland, CA, United States f EOA, Inc., 1410 Jackson Street, Oakland, CA 94612, United States g Tesoro Golden Eagle Refinery, 150 Solano Way, Martinez, CA 94553, United States h Bay Planning Coalition, 1970 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612, United States i Applied Marine Sciences, 4749 Bennett Drive, Livermore, CA 94551, United States highlights • The only long-term, systematic monitoring program for pollutants in the Bay. • A collaborative partnership of scientists, regulators, and the regulated community. • Led by an independent science team from the San Francisco Estuary Institute. • A model for adaptive monitoring to answer evolving management questions. article info Article history: Received 17 March 2015 Received in revised form 2 October 2015 Accepted 10 October 2015 Available online xxxx Keywords: San Francisco Bay Regional Monitoring Program Water quality Environmental management abstract The Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (RMP) is a novel partnership between regulatory agencies and the regulated community to provide the scientific foundation to manage water quality in the largest Pacific estuary in the Americas. The RMP monitors water quality, sediment quality and bioaccumulation of priority pollutants in fish, bivalves and birds. To improve monitoring measurements or the interpretation of data, the RMP also regularly funds special studies. The success of the RMP stems from collaborative governance, clear objectives, and long-term institutional and monetary commitments. Over the past 22 years, high quality data and special studies from the RMP have guided dozens of important decisions about Bay water quality management. Moreover, the governing structure and the collaborative nature of the RMP have created an environment that allowed it to stay relevant as new issues emerged. With diverse participation, a foundation in scientific principles and a continual commitment to adaptation, the RMP is a model water quality monitoring program. This paper describes the characteristics of the RMP that have allowed it to grow and adapt over two decades and some of the ways in which it has influenced water quality management decisions for this important ecosystem. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 510 746 7345. E-mail address: philt@sfei.org (P.R. Trowbridge). 1. Introduction The Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in the San Francisco Estuary (RMP) provides the scientific foundation for managing water quality in a treasured aquatic ecosystem. In the 22 years since its inception, the RMP has matured into a mul- http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2015.10.002 2352-4855/© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.