The California Water Quality Monitoring Council convened on December 5, 2024, to review the pre-holiday assessments of water quality across several bodies of water. The meeting highlighted the results of sampling conducted during key holidays, including Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day, as well as a post-holiday sample.

Overall, the assessments revealed a positive trend, with most water bodies showing no significant advisories. However, Lake Pillsbury was noted as an exception, experiencing a caution advisory on Labor Day and a danger advisory following the holiday. The meeting also addressed various types of harmful algal blooms reported in rivers and creeks, with specific cautions issued along the Del Norte and Sonoma County coasts.

Illness reports were a concerning topic, with instances of human and canine illnesses, including a few dog fatalities. Investigations into these cases indicated that they were not related to harmful algal blooms, although the circumstances surrounding the dog deaths in the Eel River remain under review due to limited access to the private property where they occurred.

In addition to the assessments, the meeting discussed ongoing projects and collaborations. The CCAP benthic subcommittee is working on tiered monitoring recommendations for cyanobacteria in rivers and has presented new thresholds for spat percent cover. The council is also participating in the US EPA ROAR project, which involves deploying spats in the South Fork Eel River to better understand benthic blooms.

Collaboration with the University of Nevada, Reno, is underway to study spatial variation and antitoxin production in California's river networks. The council has also conducted several training sessions this year, combining virtual and field components, to enhance monitoring efforts.

The meeting concluded with an acknowledgment of the partnerships that support these initiatives, emphasizing the collaborative effort required to maintain water quality across the region.