The Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Authority (SCCWRP) is a joint powers agency focusing on environmental research. A joint powers agency is one that is formed when several government agencies have a common mission that can be better addressed by pooling resources and knowledge. In our case, the common mission is to gather the necessary scientific information so that our member agencies can effectively, and cost-efficiently, protect the Southern California marine environment.
SCCWRP is comprised of 14 member agencies that include representatives of city, county, state, and federal government agencies responsible for monitoring and protecting the marine environment, including the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego; the County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles and Orange Counties; the Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Boards; the State Water Resources Control Board; the US Environmental Protection Agency, Ventura County Watershed Protection District, Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, the Ocean Protection Council, Orange County, and San Diego County. Our commission represents a unique partnership of members that discharge to the ocean and those that regulate discharge, working together to protect the Southern California coastal environment and the quality of aquatic life.
SCCWRP was formed in 1969 to address limited knowledge about the effects of wastewater and other discharges to the Southern California coastal marine environment. SCCWRP has evolved through the years to become a recognized leader in environmental research, providing innovative leadership in the marine sciences, developing new environmental monitoring methods, defining the mechanisms by which biota are potentially affected by anthropogenic inputs, and fostering communication among scientists, methods developers, and water quality managers. One of the keys to SCCWRP's success is the multidisciplinary composition of its staff. SCCWRP is comprised of internationally recognized analytical chemistry, benthic ecology, fish biology, watershed conditions, toxicology, and emerging research units, providing ready access to the range of skills needed to address complex environmental issues. SCCWRP has published nearly 200 technical reports and contributed to more than 300 articles in scientific journals. SCCWRP is pleased to have been an active participant in some of the most significant scientific discoveries, technology and methodology developments, and environmental policy decisions of the past thirty years.