Who We Are


The Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) is an aquatic sciences research institute that works to improve management of aquatic systems in Southern California and beyond. Since its founding as an intergovernmental public agency in 1969, SCCWRP has been developing strategies, tools and technologies that the region’s water-quality management community relies on to more effectively protect and enhance the ecological health of Southern California’s coastal ocean and the watersheds that drain to it. As an R&D agency, SCCWRP’s reputation is built on conducting research and translating this science into actionable guidance and recommendations that inform management decision-making and policy development.
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Latest News

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Upcoming Meetings

SCCWRP Commission meeting -
SCCWRP Commission meeting -
SCCWRP Commission meeting -
SCCWRP Commission meeting -
Seminar: "Innovation in the Ocean: A New Funder’s Perspective" -
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Latest Publications

Giraldo, M.A., S. Dark, P. Pendleton, E.D. Stein, R.D. Mazor, J. Andreas. 2019. Environmental predictors of stream flow in semi-arid watersheds for biological assessments. Ecological Indicators 104:429-438.

Smith, J., A. Lie, E.L. Seubert, N. Crowley, G. Robertson, D.A. Caron. 2019. Co-occurring Dissolved Algal Toxins Observed at Multiple Coastal Sites in Southern California via Solid Phase Adsorption Toxin Tracking. Toxicon https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2019.10.005.

Gillett, D.J., L. Gisbane, K.C. Schiff. 2019. Benthic Infauna of the Southern California Bight Continental Slope: Characterizing Community Structure for the Development of an Index of Disturbance. US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Camarillo, CA.

Leon, P., N. Bednarsek, P. Welsham, K. Cook, S.E. Hartman, D. Wall-Palmer, J. Hindson, K. Mackenzie, L. Webster, E. Bresnan. 2019. Relationship between shell integrity of pelagic gastropods and carbonate chemistry parameters at a Scottish Coastal Observatory monitoring site. ICES Journal of Marine Science doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsz178.

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Research Portfolio

Research Portfolio

SCCWRP is a regional aquatic science research agency with national impact. Learn more about the agency’s broad research portfolio and how it shapes development of informed water-quality management strategy. More »

Management Connections

Management Connections

SCCWRP is neither an academic research institution nor environmental consulting firm. Learn how the agency meets the R&D needs and priorities of Southern California’s water-quality management community. More »

Scientific Publications

George Robertson of the Orange County Sanitation District, left, and Ashley Booth, center, and Erin Oderlin of the City of Los Angeles Sanitation calibrate and prepare an XPRIZE-developed ocean pH monitoring sensor for a test deployment in nearshore waters off Crystal Cove. All four of SCCWRP’s POTW member agencies participated in the training exercise in early August.

SCCWRP has collaborated with nearly 200 organizations on peer-reviewed journal articles in recent years. Explore the institutional affiliations of all of SCCWRP’s recent co-authors. More »

Scientific Leadership

Scientific Leadership

SCCWRP scientific staff hold more than 100 leadership roles with professional scientific societies, advisory committees and peer-reviewed journals. Learn more about how SCCWRP engages with the broader scientific community. More »