From the State Water Resources Control Board:
An independent panel of academics and agricultural industry advisors today released a draft report containing recommendations for updating California’s regulatory approach to nitrogen discharges from farms.
Furthering research on the impacts of agricultural practices on water quality, the State Water Resources Control Board convened the Second Statewide Agricultural Expert Panel in 2025 and directed it to consider nine nitrogen-related questions. The State Water Board and nine Regional Water Quality Control Boards will use the report to guide potential future updates to how discharges from irrigated farmland are regulated under the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program.
The eight-member panel held more than a dozen meetings, including two plenary meetings, two listening sessions and 12 work group meetings to consider the questions and compile the draft report.
Among other findings, the draft report concludes that there is enough data to support numeric crop-specific targets or limits on nitrogen use in some parts of the state, while more time is needed in other regions to assess groundwater risks from nitrogen. The panel also recommends flexibility for region-specific nitrogen standards and the development of standardized reporting protocols.
The public and interested parties can comment on the expert panel’s draft report through April 30, and the panel expects to hold a final plenary meeting in June. The panel will then present its final report during a State Water Board meeting later in the year.
Spanning a wide array of growing conditions, California agriculture produces more than 400 commodities, including nearly half of US-grown fruits, nuts and vegetables. Over 29,000 farming operations covering 6 million acres are enrolled in the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program.
