The California Water Boards' Annual Performance Report - Fiscal Year 2015-16
REGULATE: IRRIGATED LANDS
GROUP:
IRRIGATED LANDS
MEASURE:
NUMBER OF FARMING OPERATIONS ENROLLED
SIZE OF OPERATIONS ENROLLED
MESSAGE:
In Fiscal Year (FY) 2015-16, the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Programs (ILRP) enrolled 482 new irrigated agricultural operations which comprise 25,310 newly enrolled acres of irrigated agricultural land. The total number of operations and acres enrolled in the ILRP is 36,957 and 6,262,896, respectively. Regulated operations represent approximately 70 percent of the State's irrigated acreage. The Central Valley Region, which covers approximately 40 percent of the State's geographical area, regulates 89 percent of all irrigated acreage, enrolled in the ILRP.
Key Statistics for FY 2015-16
Farming Operations Enrolled
36,957
Estimated Farming Operations Remaining to be Enrolled
3,320
MEASUREMENTS - Data Last Updated on: 10-19-2016 (3:51 pm)
Region
Total Estimated Acres in Region
New Acres Regulated in FY 15-16
Total Acres Enrolled Under Waiver
% Acres Enrolled
Total Estimated Number of Farm Operations
New Operations Regulated in FY 15-16
Total Operations Enrolled Under Waiver
% Operations Enrolled
1
348,000
0
0
0%
0
0
0
0%
2
90,000
0
0
0%
0
0
0
0%
3
439,000
8,494
428,019
97%
2,993
-66
1,696
57%
4
96,876
3,525
83,872
87%
2,100
45
1,561
74%
5
7,000,000
-30,272
5,607,549
80%
35,000
-801
29,840
85%
6
220,000
0
0
0%
0
0
0
0%
7
606,000
43,563
143,456
24%
Unknown
1,304
3,860
Unknown%
8
58,874
0
0
0%
184
0
0
0%
9
60,000
0
0
0%
0
0
0
0%
TOTAL
8,918,750
25,310
6,262,896
70%
40,277
482
36,957
Unknown%
WHAT THE MEASURE IS SHOWING
In Fiscal Year (FY) 2015-16, the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Programs (ILRP) enrolled 482 new irrigated agricultural operations which comprise 25,310 newly enrolled acres of irrigated agricultural land. The total number of operations and acres enrolled in the ILRP is 36,957 and 6,262,896, respectively. Regulated operations represent approximately 70 percent of the State's irrigated acreage. The Central Valley Region, which covers approximately 40 percent of the State's geographical area, regulates 89 percent of all irrigated acreage, enrolled in the ILRP.
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 the ILRP. Initiated in 2004, the ILRP works with the agricultural community to control discharges from irrigated lands. Regional Water Boards use different regulatory models to address region-based agricultural related water quality impacts. The Regional Boards either adopt a Waste Discharge Requirements (WDRs) or Conditional Waiver of WDRs (Conditional Waiver). To comply with the conditions of the WDR or Conditional 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, and as a result of agricultural operational changes (i.e. seasonal or rotational crop planting and harvesting, normal operational soil health related fallowing, and drought related fallowing, etc.) the number of acres (and the corresponding number of agricultural operations) enrolled will increase or decrease from year to year. Typically, the regulated operators join a coalition or monitoring group which implements WDR or Conditional Waiver requirements and/or conducts monitoring. The table below lists the number of farm operators and acreage under each coalition by region.
Region
Order #
Acreage
Number of Participants
Coalition Name
3
R3-2012-0011
10,668
132
Tire III - Total
3
R3-2012-0011
417,351
1,564
Central Coast Water Quality Preservation, Inc.
4
R4-2015-202
82,189
1,281
Ventura County Agriculture Irrigated Lands Group
4
R4-2015-202
1,683
280
Nursery Growers Association-Los Angeles County Irrigated Lands Group
5F
R5-2014-0002-R2
421,000
2,500
CA Rice Commission Coalition
5S
R5-2014-0032
1,340,216
8,300
Sacramento Valley WQ Coalition
5F
R5-2014-0002-R2
435,922
2,527
Westside San Joaquin Coalition
5S
R5-2014-0029-R1
386,452
3,609
San Joaquin/Delta WQ COALITION
5F
R5-2012-0116-R3
696,156
3,524
East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition
5F
R5-2014-0001
490,495
1,276
Westlands Water District
5F
R5-2013-0120-R1
30,788
40
Buena Vista Coalition
5S
R5-2013-0120-R1
761,019
4,819
Kings River Watershed Coalition Authority
5S
R5-2013-0120-R1
522,776
781
Kern River Watershed Coalition Authority
5F
R5-2013-0120-R1
34,524
89
Cawelo Water District
5F
R5-2013-0120-R1
163,422
1,290
Kaweah Basin WQA
5F
R5-2013-0120-R1
225,018
1,044
Tule Basin Water Quality Coalition
5S
R5-2013-0120-R1
99,761
41
Westside Water Quality Coalition
7
R7-2014-0046
43,213
1,304
Coachella Valley Irrigated Lands Coalition
7
R7-2013-0002
6,731
215
Bard WD
7
R7-2012-0047
93,512
2,341
Palo Verde Outfall Coalition
TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Data Source: Water Boards ILRP database.
Unit of Measure: Number of acres enrolled under general conditional waivers of WDRs at Regional Water Boards with ILRP.
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 ILRP.
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.
