By Jane Sooby
During its August 22 meeting, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board voted unanimously to amend the region’s Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program (ILRP) General Order and exempt growers in the Pit River subwatershed from having to enroll in the program.
The Pit River Subwatershed is located in portions of Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, and Siskiyou counties where the primary crops are pasture (79%), forage crops, wild rice, and small acreages of specialty crops. The rationale for the exemption is that the Pit River area growers rarely apply nitrogen fertilizers or pesticides and pose a “minimal risk of impairing the quality of surface waters and groundwater.” In addition, the regional water board acknowledged that growers in the Pit River Subwatershed pay a higher regulatory cost in terms of percentage of per-acre earnings compared with growers in other areas.
Read the resolution and a draft copy of the revised order here.
The Pit River Subwatershed joins the Goose Lake and Upper Feather River Watershed Areas as being exempt from the Central Valley regional ag order.
During the Board meeting, no public comment was submitted in opposition to the resolution. After the vote was completed, stakeholders offered comments reflecting the hard work done by ranchers, regional water board staff and members, and tribes to come to an agreement.
Bruce Houdesheldt, Director of Water Quality for the Northern California Water Association, said, “This is a momentous day” and recalled the efforts that have been made since 2016 to gain this exemption. Houdesheldt ended his comments by saying, “Thank you for recognizing regulation should be commensurate with the risk.”
Others speaking in appreciation of the resolution included rancher and Modoc County Board of Supervisors Chair Ned Coe, Tami Humphry of the Northeastern California Water Association, and Kari Fisher with the California Farm Bureau Federation.
Central Valley Regional Water Board Assistant Executive Officer Adam Laputz commented, “A lot of work went into this. The data bore out that this area is different. The water quality is good, the cultural practices are good, and this is good for water quality.”
