HR: 0800h
AN: ED41A-0081    [Abstracts]
TI: A Water Quality Study: Heron's Head Park, San Francisco, California
AU: * Li, A
EM: sfrocks@sfsu.edu
AF: Phillip and Sala Burton Academic High School, 400 Mansell Street, San Francisco, CA 94134, United States
AU: Wu, K
EM: sfrocks@sfsu.edu
AF: Phillip and Sala Burton Academic High School, 400 Mansell Street, San Francisco, CA 94134, United States
AU: Neiss, J
EM: sfrocks@sfsu.edu
AF: San Francisco State University, Department of Geosciences, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132, United States
AB: Heron's Head Park, formerly known as Pier 98, is a 24-acre restored wetland, owned and operated by the Port of San Francisco and situated at the base of the Hunter's Point Power Plant. Heron's Head is a unique environment that is built on landfill and is now a thriving marsh maintained primarily by youth and community volunteers. Adjacent to the park stands a PG&E power plant (closed May 2006), a county waste transfer station, and a combined sewer overflow (CSO) pipe. The park is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north, east and south sides of the park. We examined the levels of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate and fecal coliform at nine sites around the park. Utilizing historical data from other San Francisco Bay sites and other similar estuarine settings in California, we assessed the health of the Bay waters surrounding the park. We found the levels of ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and phosphates to be within the parameters of historical San Francisco Bay data and similar to settings such as Elkhorn Slough, Tomales Bay and Tijuana Estuary. In our study we did find a potential hazard to human health. Fecal coliform concentrations in waters that border the park range from 340 MPN/100 mL – 24,000 MPN/100 mL. This level significantly exceeds Environmental Protection Agency recommendations of 300 MPN/100 mL for human contact with water.
UR: http://sf-rocks.sfsu.edu
DE: 6630 Workforce
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting