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Sacramento Valley water users are trying to pull together to come up with a water quality monitoring plan to fulfill requirements passed by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. Anyone who discharges wastewater is required to get a permit from the regional board. But since 1982, agricultural runoff was given an exemption to that law. The exemption expired in January and the regional board voted to extend it for two more years, but with conditions. The State Water Resources Control Board has authority over agricultural runoff because water from fields goes back into canals and rivers. The waiver also requires anyone who receives it to join a yet-to-be-defined watershed group. Likely funding will need to be developed for water monitoring, perhaps through the recently passed Proposition 50 water bond, or other sources. Over time, growers will be asked to come up with "best management practices," which means farming practices that lessen the effects of herbicide and pesticide use. If growers don't join a watershed group and work out a monitoring plan, they'll need to get a permit and pay a minimum of $400. The rice industry has had a monitoring system in place for some time and is lobbying to have this accepted as adequate. Rudy Schnagl, chief of the agricultural unit for the regional water board, said the rice program may need to be expanded upon to include things not currently being monitored. Van Tenney, manager of Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District, said the definition of what will constitute a watershed group has yet to be defined. The trend in most water management in the state is toward a more regional approach. Tenney said the monitoring process will likely take a basin-wide view and aim to learn how water quality is interdependent among various users. Anjanette Martin, general manager of Colusa Basin Drainage District, said agricultural groups have started meeting to figure out how to proceed under the new rules. The coalition includes chemical companies, agricultural groups, farm bureaus, water districts, watershed groups, ag commissioners, Northern California Water Association, Ducks Unlimited, the Coalition for Urban/Rural Environmental Stewardship, the Grape and Tree Fruit League and other ag-related groups. Under this larger umbrella group, sub-watershed groups could be formed covering certain areas of agricultural land. These subgroups could then begin monitoring water quality and studying where improvements are needed. The agricultural industry has until January 2005 to put the monitoring program in place. By June of this year, the various parties need to present a plan to the regional water quality board. Martin said the program will also involve education and outreach. For example, water quality can be ensured if farmers don't spray before it rains or don't spray during certain windy conditions. The impetus at this point is to form a Sacramento Valley watershed group to fulfill the requirement that farmers join a watershed group in order to receive the waiver. The idea is that instead of having "100 different organizations doing 100 different things," one entity would oversee the water quality plan, Martin said. The watershed group would take into account farming infrastructure like irrigation canals, cropping patterns, chemical applications and irrigation patterns. Chico Enterprise Record - Copyright Policy
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