The California Water Boards' Annual Performance Report - Fiscal Year 2013-13
REGULATE: IRRIGATED LANDS
GROUP:
IRRIGATED LANDS
MEASURE:
NUMBER OF FARMING OPERATIONS ENROLLED
SIZE OF OPERATIONS ENROLLED
MESSAGE:
The two regions most active in the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program are the Central Valley and the Central Coast.
Key Statistics for FY 2013-14
Farming Operations Enrolled
29,468
Estimated Farming Operations Remaining to be Enrolled
24,204
MEASUREMENTS - Data Last Updated on: 10-20-2014 (2:12 pm)
Region
Total Estimated Acres in Region
New Acres Regulated in FY 13-14
Total Acres Enrolled Under Waiver
% Acres Enrolled
Total Estimated Number of Farm Operations
New Operations Regulated in FY 13-14
Total Operations Enrolled Under Waiver
% Operations Enrolled
1
348,000
0
135,000
39%
3,688
0
426
12%
2
55,000
0
0
0%
1,500
0
0
0%
3
435,000
7,506
420,324
97%
2,993
0
1,841
62%
4
96,000
-1,905
78,697
82%
2,100
0
1,398
67%
5
6,300,000
78,220
4,785,929
76%
35,000
715
24,956
71%
6
220,000
0
0
0%
0
0
0
0%
7
661,000
55,850
107,936
16%
2,459
24
363
15%
8
41,000
0
0
0%
200
0
0
0%
9
305,000
0
42,749
14%
5,732
0
484
8%
TOTAL
8,461,000
139,671
5,570,635
66%
53,672
739
29,468
55%
WHAT THE MEASURE IS SHOWING
In Fiscal Year (FY) 2013-14, the Regional Boards enrolled 739 irrigated agricultural operations, which comprised 139,671 acres of irrigated agricultural land, under a general conditional waiver of Waste Discharge Requirements (WDRs). This resulted in 55 percent of the irrigated agricultural operators and 66 percent of acreage being regulated statewide. It is evident that Region 5, which covers about 40 percent of the geographical area of the State, has 56 percent of the irrigated agricultural operators and 76 percent of acreage among these three regions.
WHY THIS MEASURE IS IMPORTANT
Many surface and groundwater bodies are impaired because of pollutants from agricultural sources. Discharges from irrigated agricultural lands, from both irrigation flows and stormwater runoff, can affect water quality by transporting pollutants such as pesticides, nutrients, sediment, salts, heavy metals, and pathogens from cultivated fields into waters of the State. Several Regional Water Boards have made significant progress in developing and implementing an Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program (ILRP), initiated in 2004, to work with the agricultural community to control discharges from irrigated lands. Most of these Regional Boards have adopted a region-wide, general conditional waiver of WDRs to regulate irrigated agricultural discharges. To comply with the conditions of the waiver, irrigated agricultural dischargers implement management measures, monitor water quality, and implement corrective actions as needed to protect water quality. Because each Regional Water Board’s ILRP is in a different phase of development, reporting on the number of acres, as well as the corresponding number of agricultural operations, enrolled will increase as additional Regional Boards adopt general conditional waivers of WDRs for discharges from irrigated agricultural land. Typically farm operators regulated under a waiver participate under a coalition group to implement the requirements of the conditional waivers. The following table includes the names and number of farm operators and acreage under each existing coalition.
Region
Order #
Acreage
Number of Participants
Coalition Name
3
R3-2010-0040
420,324
Not Available
Central Coast Water Quality Preserve, Inc.
4
R4-2010-0186
78,694
Not Available
Ventura County Agriculture Irrigated Lands Group
4
R4-2010-0186
1,675
Not Available
Nursery Growers Association-Los Angeles County Irrigated Lands Group
5S
R5-2006-0053
8,326
28
Goose Lake RCD Water Quality Coalition
5S
R5-2006-0053
544,468
2,500
California Rice Commission Coalition
5S
R5-2006-0053
1,183,491
7,888
Sacramento Valley Water Quality Coalition
5S
R5-2006-0053
507,489
1,070
Westlands Water District Water Quality Coalition
5S
R5-2006-0053
489,732
2,450
Westside San Joaquin River Watershed Coalition
5S
R5-2006-0053
348,200
3,256
San Joaquin County & Delta Water Quality Coalition
5S
R5-2006-0053
716,051
3,908
East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition
5S
R5-2006-0053
939,362
3,794
South San Joaquin Valley Water Quality Coalition
5S
R5-2006-0053
48,810
62
Buena Vista Coalition
7
R7-2012-0047
131,816
339
Palo Verde Outfall Coalition
7
R7-2013-0002
7,120
24
Bard Unit Coalition Group
7
R7-2014-0046
53,850
Not Available
Coachella Valley Irrigated Lands Coalition
TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Data Source: Water Board ILRP Program database.
Unit of Measure: Number of acres enrolled under general conditional waivers of Waste Discharge Requirements (WDRs) at three Regional Water Boards with Irrigated Lands Regulatory Programs.
Data Definitions: Acres Enrolled: Agricultural acreage under the control of commercial irrigated agricultural operators enrolled under a general conditional waiver of WDRs issued by a Regional Water Board as part of their Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program.
Conditional Waiver of Waste Discharge Requirements
Regional Water Board can formally waive Waste Discharge Requirements (WDRs) for specific discharges to surface waters that are not subject to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System regulations provided that certain conditions are met, including that the discharge will not cause or contribute to violations in water quality. An individual conditional waiver of WDRs can be issued directly to an individual discharger. For discharges of a certain type, such as discharges from irrigated agricultural lands, individual or groups of dischargers may enroll under a general conditional waiver of WDRs.
Irrigated Agricultural Lands
Lands where water is applied to produce crops such as land planted to row, vineyard, pasture, field and tree crops, commercial nurseries, nursery stock production, managed wetlands, and rice production that do not currently discharge under waste discharge requirements, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permits, or other NPDES permits.
