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SACRAMENTO - Agriculture and environmental advocates gave the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board an earful Thursday during a daylong public hearing over water discharge rules. Time ran out as still more speakers wanted to make comments to the board. As the lights were flickering in the Environmental Protection Agency building, board Chairman Robert Schneider apologized but said those who still wanted to speak would need to come back today. About 200 people packed the meeting room. The issue is agricultural water runoff. Under current law, landowners who discharge water into public waterways must get a permit. But for the past two decades, agriculture was granted a waiver. The rules expired in December, and the board has been moving in the direction of extending the waivers if farmers would join a watershed group and increase monitoring programs to detect toxicants in rivers and streams. Environmental groups wanted individual permits and challenged earlier board decisions saying Beverly Alves, a board member and Glenn County farmer, had a conflict of interest for voting on an issue that could economically affect her farm. A complaint was filed with the state attorney general's office. Prior to that vote, Alves had asked the board's attorney whether she was allowed to vote on the issue and was told yes. But on review by the attorney general's office, Alves was told she should not vote on an item that could affect her farm. Alves attended the meeting Thursday, but sat in the front row in the audience instead of in her seat with the rest of the board. During the meeting, the other board members made a motion to rescind the earlier action in which Alves had voted. Alves was appointed to the board to represent irrigated agriculture and said it was frustrating Thursday not to be able to participate in the discussion. She said there were many times when the expertise for which she was appointed to the board could have been helpful. Anjanette Martin, manager of the Colusa Basin Drainage District, said it's unfortunate Alves was singled out. "Every decision (the board) makes affects every person in the Central Valley, whether directly or indirectly," Martin said. "Beverly is a very classy, smart lady," Martin said, and would never knowingly have acted incorrectly on the board. Larry Domenighini, a Glenn County farmer, sent a letter to the board saying other board members had conflicts of interest, one because he works for a city that needs a discharge permit, and another because he is a member of an environmental group involved with board business. But at Thursday's meeting, a water quality control board staff member said those issues do not require those board members to abstain from voting on this issue. During the hearing on ag waivers, representatives of farming communities argued that intricate monitoring plans crafted over the past six months by water users should be put into place to avoid each farmer needing to get an individual permit. A majority of the day was spent on testimony from these groups. As the afternoon continued, environmentalists began to get their chance at the podium, but time ran out before everyone had a chance to have their say. Many were upset, saying they couldn't attend today's hearing. During the lunch break, environmental groups staged a rally near the front entrance of the building. One demonstrator dressed in a largemouth bass costume and people chanted: "No more favors. End ag waivers." Many in the audience at the meeting also wore buttons that read "No waivers." |
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