K&A Farms LLC agreement to pay $38,225 Penalty for Failure to Report Levels of Nitrogen Use

MONTEREY COUNTY – The Central Coast Water Board reached a $38,225 settlement with K&A Farms LLC for its failure to submit a timely report on the total amount of nitrogen applied to its ranch in 2020, as required by the Central Coast Water Board’s Agricultural Order.

The Central Coast Water Board’s Agricultural Order regulates discharges from irrigated agricultural lands to protect surface water and groundwater. K&A Farms has been enrolled in the Agricultural Order since 2011 but failed to comply with the requirement to submit a timely total nitrogen applied report for 2020, despite numerous reminders from the Central Coast Water Board.

“We are intensifying our enforcement of reporting requirements because we need timely data to address threats to water quality and human health,” said Matt Keeling, executive officer of the Central Coast Water Board. “Water quality in agricultural areas of the region continues to be severely impaired by waste discharges from irrigated agricultural operations, which is the leading cause of nitrate drinking water standard exceedances in groundwater supply wells in the Central Coast.”

Under the Agricultural Order, growers are required to track and report on an annual basis the total nitrogen applied to evaluate potential impacts to groundwater, surface water quality and public health because one of the main causes of severe groundwater nitrate pollution is the over-application of synthetic fertilizer nitrogen.

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The Central Coast Water Board is responsible for protecting and restoring water quality in a 300-mile-long coastal region, from southern San Mateo and Santa Clara counties to the northern part of Ventura County. Protecting beneficial uses in streams, the ocean, and groundwater is essential to ensuring water quality and protecting the health of humans and wildlife.