Water Quality Compliance Program for Dairies & Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs)

Dairy Program

The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board’s (Regional Water Board) Dairy Program currently regulates waste discharge from dairies under General Waste Discharge Requirements for Dairies in the North Coast Region, Order No. R1-2019-0001 (GWDR). This GWDR was adopted on August 15, 2019.

The GWDR permit applies to existing dairies, new or expanding dairies, previously inactive dairies, and goat, sheep, and water buffalo dairies. Any dairies that do not meet the conditions of the GWDR must apply for an individual permit.

General Waste Discharge Requirements for Dairies, Order No. R1-2019-0001

2019 Dairy Program Update

The Regional Water Board has been regulating all cow dairies in the North Coast region since 2012 under General Waste Discharge Requirements for Dairies, Order R1-2012-0002 and Conditional Waiver of Waste Discharge Requirements, Order R1-2012-0003. General Waste Discharge Requirements for Dairies in the North Coast Region, Order No. R1-2019-0001 (GWDR) was adopted on August 15, 2019, and replaces the 2012 Orders.

Public Notices

Public Notice
For Order R1-2019-0001 Monitoring and Reporting Program Extensions, Issued November 9, 2020

Email Subscriptions

To receive emails from the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board as current information is distributed to our website, please request to be added to our email subscription list by visiting and clicking “Dairies”:

https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/resources/email_subscriptions/reg1_subscribe.html

Program Contacts

Joshua Luders, (707) 576-2551 Joshua.Luders@waterboards.ca.gov
David Kuszmar, (707) 576-2693 David.Kuszmar@waterboards.ca.gov

Mailing address:
North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board,
5550 Skylane Blvd., Suite A
Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Electronic submittals should be sent to: northcoast@waterboards.ca.gov

Annual Permit Fee Schedule

Historical Dairy Program Information

The following historical dairy orders are no longer active but are still linked on our website for viewing:

Dairy Waiver Renewal Order R1-2016-0045
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Order No. R1-2012-0001
General Waste Discharge Requirements for Dairies in the North Coast Region, Order No. R1-2012-0002
Conditional Waiver of Waste Discharge Requirements for Existing Dairies in the North Coast Region, Order No. R1-2012-0003
Attachments for any of the above Orders can be found by visiting the link below, typing in the Order Number, and clicking “Submit.” The Order will be listed along with the attachments.
https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/northcoast/board_decisions/adopted_orders/

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How can I get help filling out forms for the dairy permit and meeting water quality requirements?
For help in filling out forms, please call the Regional Water Board staff at (707) 576-2755. For assistance with meeting water quality requirements, contact your local NRCS, RCD, Farm Bureau, California Dairy Quality Assurance Program, or dairy representative. See Links to Important Agricultural Programs below.

How do I find out what Region my property is in?

To see if your facility is within Region 1, please visit:
https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterboards_map.html

Enter your address in the bottom text box titled “To find the Regional Water Board for a particular location, click on the map or enter a street address,” then press “Go!” The appropriate Regional Water Board information will pop up.

Links to Important Agricultural Programs

Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)
https://www.epa.gov/agriculture

Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)
https://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app

Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs)
http://www.carcd.org/rcd_directory0.aspx

Marin County RCD
http://marinrcd.org/

Sonoma RCD
http://www.sonomarcd.org/

Gold Ridge RCD
http://www.goldridgercd.org/

Mendocino County RCD
http://www.mcrcd.org/

Humboldt County RCD
http://www.humboldtrcd.org/

Trinity County RCD
http://www.tcrcd.net/

Siskyou County RCD
https://www.siskiyourcd.com/

Shasta Valley RCD
http://svrcd.org/wordpress/

Central Modoc RCD
http://www.centralmodocrcd.org/

California Dairy Quality Assurance Program
https://cdqap.org/

University of California Cooperative Extension
http://ucanr.org/County_Offices/