Regional regulatory approaches to agricultural runoff in California
From CCoWS Wiki
In California, several regulatory options exist to limit agricultural contributions to water quality impairment. The California Water Code requires some combination of Waste Discharge Requirement (WDRs), conditional waivers of WDRs (ag waivers) and/or basin plan prohibitions. WDRs and conditional waivers are adopted as permits and requirements and can include discharge prevention, implementation of management practices, water quality monitoring, remediation and reporting. WDRs implement applicable water quality control plans to protect receiving waters and consider beneficial uses, suitable water quality objectives, nuisance prevention and other waste discharges [1]. Although waivers of WDRs are less intensive, permitting requirements are not simply abandoned; rather permittees must follow a certain set of conditions specified in the conditional waiver that are designed to avoid water quality violations while the waiver can be terminated at any time [2]. The conditional waiver does not hinder the need for other required permits and does not prevent the establishment of additional requirements as authorized by the California Water Code. A prohibitions approach simply restricts certain types of discharges such as municipal, industrial or hazardous wastes while the level of discharge risk to water quality determines the requirements of WDRs and ag waivers [1]. The Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act 1969 is the primary law regulating the quality of both surface and ground waters. This Act makes the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) the agency responsible for water quality planning statewide and grants the Regional Water Quality Control Boards (RWQCBs) authority. The RWQCBs are responsible for the enforcement of WDRs, ag waivers and prohibitions. California contains nine Water Quality Control Regions, each regulated by its own RWQCB. Therefore each region regulates discharge from agricultural irrigation independently with different conditions and variations of the required regulatory approaches [3]. Currently, four regions (Central Coast, Los Angeles, Central Valley and San Diego) have adopted conditional ag waivers for irrigated agricultural lands [4].
Characteristics of Various Regulatory Approaches[1]
WDRs (ag waivers) | Conditional Waivers of WDRs | |
---|---|---|
Permit Type | Individual or General | Usually General |
Risk of Discharges | Moderate | Low |
Management Practices | Not Prescribed | May be Prescribed |
Monitoring and Reporting | High | Low |
Fee | Yes | Yes |
Expiration | No - Open ended renewal depending on program effectiveness | Yes – Reviewed, revised, replaced, or reissued every 5 years |
Technical Assistance
The following organizations provide a wide range of information, tools and guidance to assist California growers in water management and discharge reduction:[5]
- University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources- Free publications on agriculture, insects, soil, water, and irrigation
- Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) – A federal agency that aims to preserve and enhance natural resources
- NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program - Financial and technical assistance for Best Management Practice (BMP) implementation
- NRCS Agricultural Water Enhancement Program - Financial and technical assistance for BMP implementation for the purpose of improving water quality of surface and groundwaters.
- University of California Cooperative Extension - Local advisers and researchers provide assistance to growers and conduct education programs and research to address agriculture issues.
- California Irrigation Management Information System - weather stations across the state specifically developed to support efficient water management
- Pesticide Wise – Database provides pesticide information to growers and threats to water quality
Contents
Regions
Region 1 -- North Coast
Region 2 -- San Francisco
Region 3 -- Central coast
Region 4 -- Los Angeles
Region 5 -- Central Valley
Region 6 -- Lahontan
Region 7 -- Colorado River Region
Region 8 -- Santa Ana
Region 9 -- San Diego
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Water Quality Compliance Program Initial Program Framework http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/northcoast/water_issues/programs/irrigated_lands/pdf/120227/dec_14_ad_grp/4_Powerpoint_Initial_Staff-Developed_Framework.pdf
- ↑ Vineyards and Waivers http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/sanfranciscobay/water_issues/programs/TMDLs/vineyard/waiver_newsletter.pdf
- ↑ Some text copied from Conditional waiver of waste discharge requirements for irrigated lands http://ecoviz.csumb.edu/wiki/index.php/Conditional_waiver_of_waste_discharge_requirements_for_irrigated_lands
- ↑ New Ag Waivers http://ucanr.org/sites/UCNFAnews/Archived_Stories/_New__Ag_Waivers_from_two_regional_water_quality_control_boards/
- ↑ http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/rwqcb4/water_issues/programs/tmdl/waivers/08_5_10/BMP%20Resources%20Guide.pdf
Links
Disclaimer
This page may contain students's work completed as part of assigned coursework. It may not be accurate. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion or policy of CSUMB, its staff, or students.