Central Coast Region Agricultural Waiver

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A watershed-related issue examined by the ENVS 560/L Watershed Systems class at CSUMB.

Summary

...a few sentences...

Location

...Name the smallest watershed (or other applicable region) within which the issue occurs...

Resource/s at stake

...What environmental resource/s are at stake?...

Stakeholders

The Central Coast (Region 3) Regional Water Quality Control Board is the state agency with the authority to regulate waste discharges that may impact water quality in this part of the state. The RWQCB is responsible for issuing Waste Discharge Requirements (WDRs), or in this case, conditional waivers thereof, and for enforcing compliance with the conditions imposed by the Ag Waiver.

Farmers practicing irrigated farming in the central coast region are subject to these new regulatory conditions.

Among the conditions imposed by the Ag Waiver is a requirement for water quality monitoring. A Cooperative Monitoring Program (CMP) has been established as part of the waiver program, so that each individual farmer will not have to conduct water quality monitoring independently. The CMP is managed by a non-profit organization: Central Coast Water Quality Preservation Inc., which was established for this purpose.

Environmental advocacy groups with an interest in fish, aquatic/riparian habitat, coastal ecosystems, or drinking water quality also have a vested interest in the success of the Ag Waiver program. The bill (SB 390) which initiated the new conditional Ag Waiver process was sponsored by two such organizations San Francisco Bay Keeper and Delta Keeper.

Finally, all citizens making use of water that is impacted by agricultural discharges, whether for drinking or recreation, are affected by the outcome of the Ag Waiver program.


Laws, policies, & regulations

The Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act (1969) established the nine Regional Water Quality Control Boards and granted them the authority to regulate all waste discharges through the issuance of Waste Discharge Requirements. These are roughly equivalent to NPDES permits.

In 1983 the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board issued a waiver officially exempting irrigation return flows and other discharges from agricultural lands from Waste Discharge Requirements. Agricultural discharges were similarly exempted around the state.

In 1999 the state legislature passed SB 390, which required existing waivers to expire by 2003. It also requires that new waivers be conditional upon compliance with water quality monitoring requirements, and have a term of no longer than five years.

As of 2004, a new Conditional Waiver of Discharge Requirements for Discharges from Irrigated Lands is now in effect in the Central Coast region. It requires that all farmers of irrigated land:

1. Enroll in the Ag Waiver program,

2. Complete of 15 hours of farm water education,

3. Submit a farm water management plan,

4. Implement water quality improvement practices, and

5. Monitor water quality, either individually of through the Cooperative Monitoring Program (CMP).


Systems

... What elements of the biophysical system are/were involved?...

Science

...What scientific studies are or would be relevant / already completed?...

Tools

...What analytical (e.g. modeling) tools were or could be used?...

Future research

...What knowledge gaps remain?...

...Suggest a CWSP MS thesis topic that could contribute to the issue...

...Suggest a topic for a hypothetical study that had unlimited resources...

References

...Proust, M. 1901. Poetica nausea. J. Nauseum. pp 1-9999.

Disclaimer

This page may contain student work completed as part of assigned coursework. It may not be accurate. It does not necessary reflect the opinion or policy of CSUMB, its staff, or students.