VI-143 



cannot be applied reliably to another estuarine area. Although 

 the technology for predicting probable water quality effects in 

 freshwater streams has advanced to the point where predictions 

 can be made with some degree of reliability, the same circum- 

 stance does not exist for estuarine areas. Applied research to 

 I develop practical predictive methods is necessary in order that 

 management agencies can approach water quality problems in a 

 given estuary without first mounting a large-scale, exoensive, 

 and time consuming field Investigation to define the assimila- 

 tive capacity of the estuary through classical methods. Inputs 

 into such a technique, of course, demand knowledge of the sources, 

 characters, amounts, and time distribution of pollutiho discharges, 

 including urban and agricultural land runoff as well as discrete 

 sources. 



At the other end of the estuary is the exchange with the ocean. 

 The hydromechanical exchange which occurs between the estuary and 

 the ocean is an extremely complex phenomenon about which little 

 is known. This is a significant factor in the loss or retention 

 of water quality constituents in the estuary and is related to 

 all of the other discussion on hydraulics, sedimentation, and 

 other physical aspects. All kinds of modeling activity require 

 qualitative and quantitative data on ocean exchange, particularly 

 in areas like Monterey Bay which have an ill-defined interface 

 with the ocean. 



