OWN MOTION REVIEW OF WDRS GENERAL ORDER NO. R5-2013-0122 FOR EXISTING MILK COW DAIRIES SWRCB/OCC FILE A-2283(b)

The staff workshop will be conducted via Zoom in English and Spanish at 9:00 a.m. on October 30th, 2024, to provide an overview of the draft Dairy Order and answer questions. Registration is not required. The workshop will be recorded, and a copy of the recording will be available on this website by November 4th.

• Virtual Staff Workshop, October 30, 2024
  • Presentation in English
• Taller virtual para el personal, 30 de octubre de 2024
  • Presentación En Español

To attend the workshop, please join the Zoom meeting at https://waterboards.zoom.us/j/93901897150?pwd=BJteBLjPAEad8o6d9bTUhkzNbA4mEl.
Meeting ID: 939 0189 7150
Passcode: 154627

To submit questions about the draft Dairy Order, please email your questions to waterqualitypetitions@waterboards.ca.gov.

Please note that comments on the draft Dairy Order will not be accepted during the staff workshop. The deadline to provide written comments is noon on Friday, December 6, 2024, and the opportunity to provide oral comments will be at a future State Water Board workshop.

On October 1, 2024, the State Water Board distributed a proposed order in this proceeding. The deadline for written comments is noon on Friday, December 6, 2024. Comments must be sent to commentletters@waterboards.ca.gov. Please indicate in the subject line “Comments on Draft Dairy Order.”

Proposed Order (Draft Dairy Order)

Transmittal Letter

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Map of approximate locations of all milk cow dairies in California – please note that the 2024 Draft Dairy Order would only apply to those dairies that apply their dairy waste to their land.

On or about October 1, 2024, the State Water Board will distribute a “draft Dairy Order” for a 60-day public comment period. The draft Dairy Order contains new proposed groundwater quality protection requirements for all milk cow dairies in California that collect their dairy waste and apply it to land. State Water Board staff will hold a virtual public workshop on October 30, 2024, to provide an overview of the draft Dairy Order and answer questions. After the comment period, the draft Dairy Order may be revised before it is presented for additional public comment at a future State Water Board workshop. The draft Dairy Order will then be considered for adoption by the State Water Board at a future meeting.

To learn more about how to participate, subscribe to email updates. Future email notifications will be sent only to this list. Please forward this email to anyone you believe would be interested in this matter. More details about the written comment period, staff-led workshop, and State Water Board workshop and meeting will be sent to the draft Dairy Order’s email subscription list.

Background: On October 3, 2013, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Central Valley Water Board) adopted Order No. R5-2013-0122, Reissued Waste Discharge Requirements for Existing Milk Cow Dairies (Dairy General WDRs) regulating discharges of dairy waste that could affect the quality of waters of the state from approximately 1,300 existing milk cow dairies within the Central Valley. The Asociación de Gente Unida por el Agua and the Environmental Law Foundation filed a petition requesting that the State Water Board review the Dairy General WDRs. The draft Dairy Order represents State Water Board staff’s proposals for resolving the issues raised in the petition and developing new groundwater protection requirements. Although the Dairy General WDRs only regulate existing milk cow dairies within the Central Valley region, the draft Dairy Order, if adopted as proposed, would establish new groundwater quality protection requirements for all dairies in California that apply their dairy waste to land.

If you have any questions about the draft Dairy Order, please email Stacy Gillespie at Stacy.Gillespie@waterboards.ca.gov. We appreciate your engagement in this important matter and look forward to your participation.

En o cerca del 1 de octubre de 2024, la Junta Estatal del Agua distribuirá un “borrador de la Orden para Lecherías” y dará 60 días para comentarios púbicos. En el borrador de la Orden, hay nuevos requisitos propuestos de protección de calidad del agua subterránea para todas las lecherías de vacas en california que aplican sus desechos a la tierra. En un taller público virtual el 30 de octubre de 2024, el personal de la Junta Estatal del Agua dará un resumen del borrador de la Orden para Lecherías y contestará preguntas. Después del periodo de comentarios, puede haber revisiones al borrador de la Orden para Lecherías antes de presentarlo en un taller futuro de la Junta Estatal del Agua para más comentarios públicos. Y en una reunión futura, la Junta Estatal del Agua considerará adoptar el borrador de la Orden para Lecherías.

Para más de cómo participar, suscríbase para actualizaciones por correo electrónico. Favor de compartir este mensaje con personas que crea estarían interesadas en este asunto. Enviaremos más detalles vía la lista de correo electrónico de la Orden para Lecherías, sobre el periodo para comentarios escritos, el taller dirigido por el personal, y el taller-reunión de la Junta Estatal del Agua.

Información General: El 3 de octubre de 2013, la Junta Regional del Valle Central de Control de Calidad del Agua (Junta de Agua del Valle Central), adoptó la Orden Núm. R5-2013-0122 que Renovó los Requisitos de Descargo de Desechos (WDRs) para Lecherías de Vacas existentes (Orden para Lecherías). La Orden para Lecherías regula descargas de desecho (como para 1,300 lecherías actuales del Valle Central) que podría afectar la calidad de aguas del estado. La Asociación de Gente Unida por el Agua y la Environmental Law Foundation pidieron que la Junta Estatal del Agua repase la Orden General de WDRs para Lecherías. El Borrador de la Orden para Lecherías, representa propuestas del personal de la Junta del Agua Estatal para resolver los asuntos planteados en la petición y desarrollar nuevos requisitos de protección del agua subterránea. Aunque la Orden General de WDRs para Lecherías solo regula Lecherías actuales en la región del Valle Central, si es adoptada como se propone, establecería nuevos requisitos de protección de calidad del agua subterránea para todas las Lecherias en california que apliquen desechos a la tierra.

Para preguntas sobre el borrador de la Orden, contacte a Stacy Gillespie en: Stacy.Gillespie@waterboards.ca.gov. Agradecemos y esperamos su participación en este asunto importante.

This item is subject to the ex parte communication disclosure requirements of Water Code section 13287, as explained in https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/laws_regulations/docs/exparte.pdf.  Any communications between interested persons and board members (other than at a noticed board meeting or submitted as a comment letter in compliance with the public notice) must be disclosed by the interested person within seven days of the communication.  Ex parte communications between interested persons and board members concerning this item will be prohibited beginning 14 days prior to any meeting scheduled for adoption of an order in this matter.

• Water Code Section 13287 Disclosures

As stated in footnote 53 of the October 1, 2024 Proposed Order, the State Water Board is supplementing the administrative record for this proceeding with the following documents:

1. State Water Board, Staff handout, “Background Information, Nitrate Discharges to Groundwater,” Sept. 1, 2021. SWRCB Staff's Background Information - Nitrate Discharges to Groundwater (ca.gov)
2. PowerPoint Presentation, J.P. Cativiela, Administrator, and Theresa Dunham, Kahn, Soares & Conway, on behalf of Central Valley Dairy Representative Monitoring Program, “Summary Representative Monitoring Report,” Sept. 27, 2021.https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/public_notices/petitions/water_quality/docs/wc_13287/srmr-09272021.pdf
3. State Water Board Resolution No. 2019-0057 (excerpted recital). https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/public_notices/petitions/water_quality/docs/wc_13287/Excerpt_SWRCB-Reso.-No.-2019-0057.docx
4. Central Valley Water Board, “New Nitrate Control Program, Coming Together to Resolve the Safe Drinking Water Challenge.” https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/public_notices/petitions/water_quality/docs/wc_13287/MZ-Nitrate_%20May_%203-27-20.pdf
5. PowerPoint Presentation, Management Zones, Nitrate Control Programs, and Dairies (Oct. 11, 2021). Management Zones, Nitrate Control Program, and Diaries (ca.gov)
6. State Water Board, Staff handout, “SWRCB Staff’s Preliminary Straw Proposal - For Distribution to Stakeholders Waste Retention Ponds,” October 2021. SWRCB Staff's Preliminary Straw Proposal (ca.gov)
7. Map of Giolotti Dairy, handout, Jan. 7, 2022. Map of Giolotti Dairy (ca.gov)
8. PowerPoint Presentation, “Data Needs,” May 9, 2022. Data Needs Presentation (May 9, 2022) (ca.gov)
9. PowerPoint Presentation, “Management Zones, Nitrate Control Programs, and Dairies,” Oct. 11, 2021. Management Zones, Nitrate Control Program, and Diaries (ca.gov)
10. California Department of Public Health, Nitrate Fact Sheet (May 2014). Nitrate Fact Sheet (ca.gov)
11. Central Valley Dairy Representative Monitoring Program, “Summary Representative Monitoring Report," April 1, 2019. https://leadershipcounsel.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Dairy-report.pdf
12. Thomas Harter et al., Nitrogen Fertilizer Loading to Groundwater in the Central Valley, Final Report to the Fertilizer Research Education Program, Projects 11‐0301 and 15‐0454, California Department of Food and Agriculture and University of California, Davis (Aug. 2017). https://ucanr.edu/sites/groundwaternitrate/files/268749.pdf
13. Pacific Health Institute, The Human Costs of Nitrate‐contaminated Drinking Water in the San Joaquin Valley. http://pacinst.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/nitrate_contamination1.pdf
14. California Department of Food and Agriculture, California Crop Fertilization Guidelines. https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/ffldrs/frep/FertilizationGuidelines/Corn.html
15. Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, Thirsty for Justice: A People’s Blueprint for California Water (2005). https://www.scribd.com/document/77576133/Thirsty-for-Justice-A-People-s-Blueprint-for-California
16. Carolina Balazs, et. al, Social Disparities in Nitrate Contaminated Drinking Water in California’s San Joaquin Valley, Environmental Health Perspectives (June 2011). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3230390/
17. Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long-Term Sustainability, Fact sheet, Nitrate Control Program. https://www.cvsalinity.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Nitrate-Control-Program-Brochure-final-11-14-23.pdf
18. Natural Resources Conservation Service, Conservation Practices Standard, Code 313. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2023-08/313_NHCP_CPS_Waste_Storage_Facility_2023.pdf
19. Natural Resources Conservation Service, Conservation Practices Standard, Code 520. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/Pond_Sealing-Liner-Compacted-Soil-520-CPS-May-2016.pdf
20. National Engineering Handbook, Part 651, chapter 10, appendix 10D. Appendix 10D—Geotechnical, Design, And Construction Guidelines (irrigationtoolbox.com)

Available at https://ftp.waterboards.ca.gov/7222276942344

Central Valley Water Board Response
Dairy Cares’ Response
California Farm Bureau Federation
James G. Sweeney and Amelia M. Sweeney Response

The State Water Resources Control Board received a petition for review of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board’s Order No. R5-2013-0122, Reissued Waste Discharge Requirements for Existing Milk Cow Dairies. The petition submitted by Asociacion de Gente Unida por el Agua and Environmental Law Foundation (Petition ID A-2283(b) is located at:

https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/public_notices/petitions/water_quality/petitions.shtml

• A-2283(b) – Asociación de Gente Unida por el Agua, et al.

September 4, 2018 State Water Board Own Motion Order
https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/board_decisions/adopted_orders/water_quality/2018/wqo2018_0021.pdf  
December 21, 2017 Activation of Petition and Deadline for Filing Response Letter
February 5, 2016 Approval of Request to Place Existing Active Petition in Abeyance
December 15, 2015 Request to Place Petition in Abeyance