Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta Continuous (15 Minute) water quality monitoring data collected by the Continuous Environmental Monitoring Program, DWR, 2005- ongoing.

The Continuous Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP) plays an instrumental role in overseeing real-time water quality in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (the Delta) and Suisun Bay. The program harnesses wireless telemetry to transmit crucial data to the California Data Exchange Center (CDEC), making high-resolution environmental data pertaining to the Delta and Suisun Bay publicly accessible. The extensive dataset captures information at 15-minute intervals from 15 monitoring stations, utilizing YSI 6600 and YSI EXO sondes to obtain standalone water quality measurements.

This extensive dataset informs the operations of the California State Water Project, ensuring it adheres to mandated water quality standards set by Water Right Decision 1641. This data compilation incorporates all information since the transition to YSI multiparameter sondes in 2005. It is important to note that the commencement dates and subsequent upgrades vary between stations, leading to slight discrepancies in the dataset's date ranges.

Since its inception in the mid-1980s, CEMP has progressively expanded its monitoring capabilities, consistently augmenting the number of monitoring locations and the array of water quality parameters assessed. Its commitment to utilizing the most advanced water quality monitoring technology reaffirms its position as an environmental monitoring leader in the Delta and Suisun Bay. Today, the program oversees 15 water quality stations that reliably capture data every 15 minutes, each day of the year, transmitting this data in real-time.

The core tenents of CEMP:
• to obtain consistent and accurate data in real-time at established monitoring stations
• to provide data necessary to achieve compliance with salinity, flow, and dissolved oxygen standards
• to perform data analyses for further understanding of estuarine ecology
• to report information to other government agencies, as well as the public, for the purpose of management
and conservation of the upper San Francisco Estuary (SFE).
• to provide continuous water quality monitoring expertise for other groups within DWR and sister agencies
for the benefit of ecological studies throughout the San Francisco- Sacramento Estuary