AMS has been the lead marine resources contractor on multiple desalination projects in the coastal waters of California. These projects have included the West Basin Desal project in Santa Monica Bay, The CalAm, Deepwater, and The Peoples Moss Landing Desal projects in Monterey Bay, and the Interagency Desal project in the San Francisco Bay Delta. AMS was a key team member on each project’s CEQA and NEPA team to prepare the marine biological resources and impacts section of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for each proposed desalination project. AMS characterized the existing marine biological resources setting within a portion of the designated marine study area, which included sensitive and special-status species, and evaluated the Project’s potential impacts on those resources. In addition, AMS recommended measures to avoid negative project impacts and analyzed data to inform project siting to minimize adverse environmental impacts. For many of these projects, special studies were conducted to assess plankton communities and the potential entrainment of these important food web species.