Tuesday, November 6, 2007 - 2:05 PM
145-2
The Agricultural Water Quality Regulatory Program in California's Central Valley.
William Croyle, Enforcement Division, Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, 11020 Sun Center Drive, Bldg #200, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
It has been four and a half years since the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Board) adopted a new regulatory program to address the release of pollutants from an estimated 7.5 million acres of irrigated lands to surface waters in California ’s Central Valley. The Board adopted a new regulatory approach in the form two conditional waivers to replace an out dated conditional waiver adopted in 1982 that covered agricultural discharges. One conditional waiver is for Coalition Groups that work on behalf of individual growers and the other is for individual growers. These waivers provide a more cost effective alternative to comply with the California Water Code and the Board’s plans and policies. Developing and refining this new regulatory approach has been a dynamic and evolving process. This program requires the organization of groups, the formation or strengthening of partnerships for collaborative efforts, watershed assessment and planning, water quality monitoring, and development, implementation and evaluation of management practices. To ensure the program’s success it is important that growers, industry, academic and agency representatives involved in addressing nonpoint source pollution, resource management and agricultural production are fully engaged to implement one of California ’s largest efforts to protect the beneficial uses of the waters of the state while maintaining a economically robust agricultural industry in the Central Valley.