[1][2] The purpose of SCCWRP is to gather the necessary scientific information to allow member agencies to effectively and cost-efficiently steward the Southern California coastal environment.
Significant research topics include regional monitoring of the Southern California Bight, beach water quality, hydromodification, wetlands, eutrophication, marine debris, and contaminants of emerging concern.
[5][6] The organization also works to transition new technologies to the user community, and foster communication among different stakeholder sectors, including regulatory agencies, wastewater dischargers, stormwater managers, academic researchers, nonprofit groups, technology developers, and industries affected by aquatic and marine resources.
[8] Though originally intended as a three-year project, SCCWRP was reauthorized to conduct further research in 1972 owing to the many data gaps identified in the summary report.
These include water quality regulatory agencies added in 1990 (United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX; California State Water Resources Control Board; Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board; Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board; and San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board) and the largest southern California stormwater management agencies added in 2003 (Ventura County Watershed Protection District, Los Angeles County Flood Control District, Orange County Public Works, and County of San Diego).