California Water Boards' Annual Performance Report - Fiscal Year 2017-18
REGULATE: IRRIGATED LANDS
IRRIGATED LANDS
NUMBER OF FARMING OPERATIONS ENROLLED
SIZE OF OPERATIONS ENROLLED
Regulated operations represent approximately 87 percent of the State's irrigated acreage. The Central Valley Region, which covers approximately 40 percent of the State's geographical area, regulates 85 percent of all irrigated acreage enrolled in the ILRP.
| Key Statistics for FY 2017-18 | |
|---|---|
| Farming Operations Enrolled | 44,305 |
| Estimated Farming Operations Remaining to be Enrolled | 16,125 |
MEASUREMENTS - Data Last Updated on: 11-16-2018 (4:25 pm)
| Region | Total Estimated Acres in Region | New Acres Regulated in FY 17-18 | Total Acres Enrolled Under Waiver | % Acres Enrolled | Total Estimated Number of Farm Operations | New Operations Regulated in FY 17-18 | Total Operations Enrolled Under Waiver | % Operations Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 269,921 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 2,200 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| 2 | 53,000 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 1,200 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| 3 | 439,000 | -4,211 | 425,544 | 97% | 2,200 | -407 | 1,757 | 80% |
| 4 | 96,500 | 16,833 | 83,804 | 87% | 2,200 | 28 | 1,724 | 78% |
| 5 | 6,180,000 | 74,323 | 5,833,959 | 94% | 35,000 | 76 | 29,374 | 84% |
| 6 | 220,000 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| 7 | 605,674 | -78,225 | 510,748 | 84% | 12,606 | -2,556 | 10,050 | 80% |
| 8 | 46,178 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 24 | 24 | 14 | 58% |
| 9 | 30,980 | 27,910 | 27,910 | 90% | 5,000 | 1,386 | 1,386 | 28% |
| TOTAL | 7,941,253 | 36,630 | 6,881,965 | 87% | 60,430 | -1,449 | 44,305 | 73% |
WHAT THE MEASURE IS SHOWING
In Fiscal Year (FY) 2017-18, the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Programs (ILRP) enrolled 1400 new irrigated agricultural operation. The total number of operations enrolled in the ILRP is 60,430, covering nearly 8 million acres. Regulated operations represent approximately 87 percent of the State's irrigated acreage. The Central Valley Region, which covers approximately 40 percent of the State's geographical area, regulates 85 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Not Adopted Yet | TBD | TBD | Developing ILRP order likely focused on vineyards and orchards |
| 2 | R2-2017-033 | TBD | TBD | First enrollments due July 31, 2018 (in fiscal year 2018-19). |
| 3 | R3-2017-002 | 414,189 | 1,592 | Central Coast Water Quality Preservation, Inc. |
| 4 | R4-2016-0143 | 81,807 | 1433 | Ventura County Agricultural Irrigated Lands Group (VCAILG) |
| 4 | R4-2016-0143 | 1,997 | 291 | Nursery Growers Association-Los Angeles County Irrigated Lands Group (NGA-LAILG) |
| 5F | R5-2013-0120 | 34,090 | 54 | Buena Vista Coalition |
| 5F | R5-2013-0120 | 33,818 | 87 | Cawelo Water District Coalition |
| 5F | R5-2013-0120 | 158,842 | 1,272 | Kaweah Basin Water Quality Association |
| 5F | R5-2013-0120 | 528,687 | 762 | Kern River Watershed Coalition Authority |
| 5F | R5-2013-0120 | 761,479 | 4,658 | Kings River Water Quality Coalition |
| 5F | R5-2013-0120 | 224,596 | 1,012 | Tule Basin Water Quality Coalition |
| 5F | R5-2014-0001 | 487,526 | 1,289 | Westlands Water District Coalition |
| 5F | R5-2013-0120 | 98,136 | 42 | Westside Water Quality Coalition |
| 5S | R5-2014-0031 | 702,081 | 3,416 | East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition |
| 5S | R5-2014-0002 | 431,453 | 2,505 | Westside San Joaquin River Watershed Coalition |
| 5S | R5-2014-0029 | 516,357 | 3528 | San Joaquin Co & Delta Water Quality Coalition |
| 5S | R5-2014-0030 | 1,332,327 | 8149 | Sacramento Valley Water Quality Coalition |
| 5S | R5-2015-0095 | 83,913 | 100 | Grasslands Drainage Area Coalition |
| 5S | R5-2014-0032 | 536,000 | 2500 | California Rice Commission |
| 7 | R7-2012-0047 (expired) | 0 | 0 | Palo Verde Outfall Coalition |
| 7 | R7-2013-0002 (expired) | 0 | 0 | Bard Unit Coalition Group |
| 7 | R7-2014-0046 | 34,152 | 3,643 | Coachella Valley Irrigated Lands Coalition |
| 7 | R7-2015-0008 | 437,000 | 6407 | Imperial Irrigation District-Imperial County Farm Bureau Coalition |
| 8 | R8-2016-0003 | 7,756 | 14 | San Jacinto Agricultural Coalition |
| 9 | R9-2016-0004 | 27,000 | 1063 | San Diego Region Irrigated Lands Group |
| 9 | R9-2016-0004 | 680 | 126 | De Luz Agricultural Group |
| 9 | R9-2016-0004 | 1,440 | 126 | Frog Environmental, Inc. |
| 9 | R9-2016-0004 | 1,860 | 71 | Upper Santa Margarita Irrigated Lands Group |
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.
- References: Information on the Water Boards' ILRP
ILRP Monthly Reports
GLOSSARY
- 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.
