Clean waters
This goal captures the degree to which local waters are unpolluted by human-made causes.
CORE DEFINITION
People value marine waters that are free of pollution and debris for aesthetic and health reasons.
Contamination of waters comes from oil spills, chemicals, eutrophication, algal blooms, disease pathogens (e.g., fecal coliform, viruses, and parasites from sewage outflow), floating trash, and mass kills of organisms due to pollution.
People are sensitive to these phenomena occurring in areas they access for recreation or other purposes as well as for simply knowing that clean waters exist.
In the global assessment, four measures of pollution are included in the clean waters goal: eutrophication (nutrients), chemicals, pathogens and marine debris. This group will assess what contamination applies to the Gulf, and will define the goal model accordingly.
The status of these components is typically the inverse of their intensity. This means that the high input results in low status score, and this goal scores highest when the contamination level is zero.
Key Questions
What is the ideal sustainable state of the clean waters goal?
How do we ideally measure the amount of contamination (or lack thereof) of waters in the Gulf of California?
How do we define the reference point, or the ideal amount of contamination? Is it zero, as it is in the global framework?
- This may depend on what we want to include in the status of the goal. Does it include chemicals, pathogens, trash, nutrients? Are there any other types of contamination we want to add or remove?
- The global OHI defined the contamination categories based on commonly considered contamination types in assessments of coastal clean waters (Borja et al. 2008), are there papers like this for the Gulf of California?
Goalkeeper Meetings
Meeting Access
Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/3255055973
Key Team Members
- Alejandra Irasema Campos
- David Alberto Salas de LeĂłn
- Geovanni (Geo) Coredero Herrera
- Jaqueline Garcia-Hernandez
- Jorge Arriaga
- José Antonio Romero Gil
- Miguel Betancourt
Meeting Schedule (Tuesday 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM PDT)
| Meeting | Date | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 29, 2025 | Group introductions, OHI platform overview, goal calculations |
| 2 | August 26, 2025 | Model and reference point discussion |
| 3 | September 30, 2025 | Model, reference point, and data sources |
| 4 | October 28, 2025 | Preliminary results and pressure/resilience |
| 5 | November 18, 2025 | Final analysis plan review |
| 6 | December 9, 2025 (tentative) | Tentative |
Google Calendar
Add the shared calendar to your Google Calendar account using the provided link. It will appear under “Other calendars” and provide access to all scheduled meetings with updated Zoom links.
Please let us know if you have any questions. We look forward to working on this initiative with you!
- Meeting #1 Slides to revisit the main ideas.
- Meeting #2 Slides, on defining the “ideal state” of clean water in the Gulf.
- CW Goalkeeper Ideas, where you can add your thoughts, ideas, and potential data sources to the ongoing collaborative document.
Meeting Summaries
Thank you to everyone who joined our first Clean Waters (CW) Goalkeeper meeting!
This initial session introduced the OHI Gulf of California assessment and set the stage for how future meetings will unfold. It was a great start to our work together in defining what clean waters mean for the Gulf of California.
While this meeting mostly served as an introduction, we had a great discussion about possible components of the Clean Waters goal for the Gulf of California.
- Ideally, we aim to identify the sources of contamination, though this may not always be feasible with available data.
- Some contaminants dissolve in freshwater but condensate upon entering seawater, causing them to adhere to marine sediments.
- José Antonio shared insights from a paper he’s working on with Ben, which could help us quantify nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in coastal regions around the Gulf.
- Miguel noted the existence of a seafood alert system: when harmful algal blooms or poor water quality are detected, advisories are issued against eating shellfish farmed in affected areas. [From COFEPRIS?]
Key Contaminant Categories Discussed:
- Nutrients
- Turbidity (suspended sediments)
- Nitrogen
- Phosphorus
- Organic matter (BOD/COD)
- Turbidity (suspended sediments)
- Chemicals
- Hydrocarbons from ships (oil/diesel)
- Heavy metals
- Pesticides / Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
- Microplastics
- Human-caused accidents (e.g., acid spills, harmful algal blooms)
- Pharmaceuticals
- Hydrocarbons from ships (oil/diesel)
- Pathogens
- Bacterial: fecal coliforms, E. coli
- Vibrio species
- Viral pathogens
- Bacterial: fecal coliforms, E. coli
- Marine Debris
- Plastic pollution
- Abandoned fishing gear (nets, lines)
- Microplastics (also listed under Chemicals)
- Plastic pollution
⚠️ Note: Some contaminants, like microplastics, fall into multiple categories, such as both Chemicals and Marine Debris. If you think it should be in one category versus another, please note this on the CW Model Notes document.
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- Add any additional contaminants, sources, or relevant datasets.
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- Presence, frequency, and sources of these contaminants
- Potential reference points or thresholds
- Presence, frequency, and sources of these contaminants
In our next meeting, we’ll continue our discussion of contaminants that should be considered in this goal.
We’ll also start to define the reference point for this goal — our vision of what ideal, clean waters look like. In assessment terms, this is the “100” score — our A+ target!
Thank you to everyone who joined our second Clean Waters (CW) Goalkeeper meeting!
This session built upon our introduction in Meeting #1. We began to define what clean waters mean in an ideal world for the Gulf of California, and brainstormed possible indicators to measure progress toward this goal.
We reviewed Meeting #1 takeaways:
- The OHI GoCA project is part of a three-legged stool framework: Index, Investment, Action.
- The Clean Waters goal captures the degree to which local waters are unpolluted by human-made causes, with implications for ecosystem health, human recreation, and food safety.
- Contamination categories include: Eutrophication (nutrients), Chemicals, Pathogens, and Marine Debris.
We then focused on two key questions:
- What is the ideal state of Clean Waters in the Gulf of California?
- What indicators could capture this state in practice?
The Ideal State of Clean Waters
In a perfect world, clean waters in the Gulf would mean:
- No contamination of marine and coastal waters
- Safe swimming & recreation (no beach closures)
- Safe seafood (low heavy metal content)
- No spills or illegal dumping
- Healthy ecosystems: fish biomass, species richness, trophic balance, and habitat recovery (will be covered in the Biodiversity goal)
Possible Indicators Mentioned
(not all are formal indicators yet – these are ideas to refine further)
Biodiversity & Ecological Function
- Fish biomass
- Species richness
- Trophic balance
- Habitat recovery
- Recovery of endangered species
Pollution & Human Health
- The number of oil spills/year
- Area (km²) of surface affected by spills
- Volume of oil spilled (L/km²)
- Wastewater treatment efficiency (% treated; goal = 100%)
- Frequency of beach closures
Waste Management & Plastics
- Compliance with “clean fleet” policies
- Tour ships not dumping waste
- Ban on single-use plastics
- Circular economy initiatives (green jobs, regenerative approaches)
Chemical & Mining Impacts
- Hydrocarbon inputs from small-scale fisheries & industry
- Bioindicator monitoring (bird eggs, mussel watch programs)
- Reduced nutrient inputs from aquaculture/fish waste
- Ban on artisanal mercury mining; best practices for commercial mining
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
- Monitoring via satellite (N, chlorophyll, sediments) + in situ validation
- Predictive hotspot alerts
Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and other frameworks
- Wetland water treatment
- Mangrove health preserved
- Agriculture runoff managed with NBS
- Source-to-Sea (S2S) framework (Mathews et al., 2019)
Relevant resources
Potential for “clean fleet policies”: EPA: Collaboration with Mexico to Reduce Emissions from Ships
Best available mining practices: Amendments to Mexican Mining and Environmental Laws: a Comprehensive Overview (2023)
“Requirement for maintaining a Restoration, Closure, and Post-closure Program: The New Bill mandates that mining concession holders submit to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources a Restoration, Closure, and Post-closure Program to ensure compliance with environmental regulations upon the termination of a mining concession for any reason. This program includes plans for site remediation, waste management, and environmental monitoring during and after the closure of mining operations.”
PROFEPA: Federal Attorney’s Office for Environmental Protection
“What do we do?”
“Monitor and evaluate compliance with legal provisions applicable to the restoration, preservation, and protection of natural resources through visits and inspections, addressing public complaints, and promoting social participation in matters of environmental protection and defense.”
Source-to-Sea (S2S) framework: (Mathews et al., 2019)
A guide for practitioners to connect freshwater and marine pollution management across the full land-to-sea continuum.“The source-to-sea concept defines key flows found within a source-to-sea system;describes six steps to guide analysis and planning; and presents a framework for elaborating a theory of change; all with an aim of designing initiatives that support healthy ecosystems and sustainable green and blue economies.”
Páez-Osuna et al. (2017): Environmental status of the Gulf of California: A pollution review
Identifies pollution from economic activities as one of the four major environmental problems in the region (focus of CW goal).
Key Contamination Findings (from literature review):
- Nutrients & Eutrophication
- Reported mainly in estuaries and lagoons of the north and central Gulf, especially those influenced by aquaculture (shrimp farms) and agriculture runoff.
- Indicators: dissolved oxygen (hypoxia), chlorophyll-a, and nutrient concentrations (N, P).
- Reported mainly in estuaries and lagoons of the north and central Gulf, especially those influenced by aquaculture (shrimp farms) and agriculture runoff.
- Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
- More frequent and intense in the southern Gulf and central coastal lagoons, with records of sanitary closures and red tide events.
- Indicators: phytoplankton cell counts, chlorophyll-a, closure events.
- More frequent and intense in the southern Gulf and central coastal lagoons, with records of sanitary closures and red tide events.
- Chemicals
- Metals & metalloids: higher concentrations in northern Gulf estuaries near mining and industrial activities.
- Pesticides & POPs: concentrated in central and southern Gulf, especially in fishing grounds and near agriculture zones.
- Hydrocarbons (oil, diesel): localized near ports, coastal urban centers, and oil transport routes (mainly central/southern Gulf).
- Metals & metalloids: higher concentrations in northern Gulf estuaries near mining and industrial activities.
- Pathogens
- Fecal contamination reported in coastal waters near urban centers (ex: Mazatlán, Guaymas, La Paz).
- Marine Debris
- Macro- and microplastics recorded in surface waters of the central Gulf and in sediments/organisms throughout the Gulf, with hotspots near urbanized coasts and fishing activity zones.
- Nutrients & Eutrophication
In our next meeting, we will:
- Finalize our vision of the ideal state
- Begin to match indicators with real world datasets
Please keep brainstorming and contributing ideas, as your input is key to shaping how we measure clean waters in the Gulf of California!
Stay tuned for Meeting #3 resources.
Additional Insights & Examples
These are some of the points discussed by the Expert Working Group (EWG).
Contamination Sources and Assessment Challenges
Multiple Non-Point Sources
- Sardine/canning industry
- Shipping traffic
- Agricultural and aquaculture operations
- Urban discharges
- Fish waste
Monitoring Data Gaps
- More comprehensive data available for Sinaloa and Sonora coasts
- Limited information for La Paz and Baja California regions
- Sediment analysis often overlooked despite significant ecosystem impacts
Weather and Climate Impacts
- Rainfall increases trash accumulation and degrades water quality
- Hurricanes and storms create additional ecosystem pressure
- Intermittent river systems cause sudden freshwater inputs that marine ecosystems cannot handle
Ecosystem and Community Impacts
Invasive Species Effects
- Cattails provide natural filtration but face threats from invasive Placostomos
- Non-native species have fundamentally altered community structures
- Root system damage impacts native fish populations like tilapia
Aquaculture Concerns
- Shrimp farms generate nutrient runoff affecting other fisheries
- Eutrophication problems documented by local fishermen
- Pathogen issues primarily affect swimming areas
Unique Regional Challenges
- Dependence on ocean-derived freshwater for drinking water
- Questions about integrating water quality standards into ocean health goals
Monitoring and Assessment Approaches
Community-Based Efforts
- Organized trash pickups throughout the Gulf
- Volunteer diving cleanup programs
- Local community engagement in monitoring efforts
Scientific Assessment Tools
- TRIX Index: Combines chlorophyll-a and nutrient data to classify water as eutrophic or oligotrophic
- Satellite monitoring: Provides temporal analysis capabilities
- Biological indicators: Cannonball jellyfish appearance signals hypoxic conditions and dead zones
Case Study: Santa Maria Lagoon
- 10-year TRIX analysis revealed dramatic ecosystem shift
- System changed from nutrient sink to nutrient exporter
- Demonstrates rapid ecological changes in regional waters
Emerging Pollution Concerns
Noise and Light Pollution
- Ship noise impacts whale communication and behavior
- Industrial development pressures highlighted by “Whales or Gas?” campaign
- Questions about classifying noise/light as water quality threats
Synergistic Effects
- Nutrients and chemicals interact to create algal blooms
- Need for multiplier effects in assessment methodologies
- Complex interactions require integrated pollution assessment approaches