nto nine categories: phytoplankton, zooplankton, infauna, epifauna, megabenthic, invertebrates, fishes, kelp, marine and shore birds, and marine mammals.Phytoplankton are one-celled plants, which float and drift in the ocean currents. They are the base of almost all marine food chains. Their productivity as a life form depends on the abundance certain nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous as well as other abiotic factors. An analysis collected by the Hyperion plant from 1957 to 1971 suggested that phytoplankton existed normally near the one-mile outfall, which was in service at the time. The five-mile outfall which discharges in shallow water is likely to enhance the growth of phytoplankton by providing nutrient rich effluent. The zooplankton are likely to be negatively affected by such waters, however, the impacts of the five-mile outfall on plankton have not been clearly studied. There is no information on how the end of seven-mile sludge discharge might have affected the phytoplankton community.Zooplankton are small animals who drift with the current and feed upon phytoplankton. This group includes animals like the jellyfish. This group has not been widely studied in the Bay. Some studies suggest that zooplankton populations are abundant around the outfall areas as a result of an increase in the phytoplankton population. (EPA V1 III-73)Infauna are small animals that are generally fixed on the ocean floor. Infauna are animals such as clams and sea worms. Fish do consume these animals so there is a real threat of bioaccumulation. Because these animals are not able to migrate they are often used to measure the impacts of human activities on the ocean floor. An abundance particular species of worm the Capitella capitata is indicative of a very polluted area in the bay. The first study of the infauna in the Bay was undertaken from 1952 to 1956. This included samples around the one-mile outfall, which was in service at th...
