The greatest need is to significantly expand and better 
coordinate the data collection, analysis, long-term monitoring 
and research conducted on the Bay. An adeguate and consistent 
funding source has been the major problem in meeting this need 
and the Bay Area citizens must provide this funding source 
independent of State and Federal funding which are too variable 
and subject to budget constraints. 
The second most important need is to establish an insti¬ 
tution with a core of experts doing basic and long-term research 
on the Bay. It is essential that the institution have the abil¬ 
ity to coordinate all research efforts in the Bay as well as 
maintain a knowledge of current research underway in similar 
estuaries throughout the world. This institute should be funded 
and be capable of responding to and investigating the causes of 
incidents such as the Mesodinium Rubrum blooms that occurred 
during the late 1960s and the San Pablo Bay Cladophora bloom in 
1979. The institute should also provide expert testimony to the 
SWRCB and RWQCB to assist in their regulatory decisions. The 
Aquatic Habitat Institute established by the SWRCB is the most 
viable organization to satisfy this need. 
The third major need is to establish a system or mechanism 
to span the information gap between the research/data collection 
efforts and the public's knowledge on the condition of the Bay. 
The Bay Area problems listed water pollution as second only be¬ 
hind transportation. One of the most difficult questions faced 
by the RWQCB staff is the condition of the Bay and what actions 
are needed to protect the Bay. 
The list of resource management needs are virtually endless 
and the potential for public harvest of shellfish is just one 
example of a beneficial use that can be expanded. 
The greatest regulatory management need is the development 
of water quality based standards for species indigenous to the 
Bay, including the most sensitive. The technology based 
standards mandated by the FWPCA have been implemented in the Bay 
Area, yet there is growing evidence that these standards are 
inadequate to protect beneficial water uses identified by the 
RWQCB. We must rapidly move forward to develop these standards 
based on the best available information. 
In summary, considerable progress has been made during the 
past 25 years to reduce pollutants discharged into San Francisco 
Bay in response to the California Water Code and FCWA; however, 
there is evidence that the San Francisco Bay system and benefi¬ 
cial uses are stressed and adversely impacted. Toxics in muni¬ 
cipals and industrial discharges, non-point source discharges, 
water diversions, pollutant input from the Delta, dredging, and 
toxic spills are factors that affect San Francisco Bay. 
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