Develop a region-wide understanding of the watershed protection and enhancement needs through reliance on sound scientific, environmental and economic information and ensure that this understanding leads to long-term stewardship of the San Francisco Bay Estuary.

BACWA Goals

BACWA agencies are directly accountable to the public they serve and protect through elected or appointed boards and through the public monies they collect and spend. BACWA agencies are the day to day urban water resource managers and the stewards of the San Francisco Bay estuary. As such, it is the goal of BACWA to ensure that local and regional decisions makers understand and use scientifically sound data to make management decisions that will result in improvements and enhancement of the Bay estuary. It is the goal of BACWA that all resource managers and decision makers understand the watershed dynamics and embrace a regional approach to water quality issues recognizing that regional problems call for regional solutions.

Since inception in 1984, the Executive Board goal has been to lead the way to protect our Bay by utilizing the best science available, sharing data, and providing quality information for public decision making.

As stipulated in the Joint Powers Agreement, BACWA's purpose is:

• To collect data on the aquatic life and quality of waters of the San Francisco Bay system, with emphasis on pollution-related effects;
• To coordinate the work of this Agency with related work of other agencies or organizations;
• To enter into additional joint powers agreements with other joint powers agencies or other public agencies (including agencies, departments or boards of the State of California ), with common or related purposes or powers to the Bay Area Clean Water Agency;
• To interpret data collected by this Agency and by others in order to assess the effects of pollution and other factors on the Bay;
• To manage this data to assure its continued usefulness;
• To carry out other tasks in support of the collection, interpretation, and management of data;
• To represent the interests of the Agency or one or more Member Agencies, including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, by participating in the appeal of or court challenge of the issuance or denial of issuance of NPDES permits or the adoption or amendment of water quality orders, regulations or decisions;
• To develop and disseminate information about the Bay;
• To carry out other programs of mutual interest.