A New Approach to Water Quality Objectives: Development of a Tissue-Based Site-Specific Objective for a Bioaccumulative Pollutant

Since 2004, a group of over 20 stakeholders have been implementing a comprehensive program to address sources of nitrogen and selenium in the Newport Bay watershed in Orange County, California. The collaborative, stakeholder driven effort, the Nitrogen and Selenium Management Program (NSMP), included the development of a site-specific objective (SSO) for selenium. A tissue-based SSO has been developed that represents a unique shift from traditional water column based standards. The SSO developed through the NSMP is an example of a how a collaborative, stakeholder driven effort provided an opportunity for federal, state, regional, and local agencies to work with the regulated community and environmental non-profit organizations in order to develop a comprehensive, progressive, and unique approach to water quality management.