By Jane Sooby
The final plenary meeting of the Second Statewide Agricultural Expert Panel was held June 5, 2026. Panel members worked to refine the wording of their recommendations through the very end of the session, when panel chair Daniel Geisseler called for a motion to approve the report. The motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously.
During the meeting, Chair Geisseler scrolled through the tracked changes version of the document and the panelist who made each edit explained their rationale. The panel accepted numerous copyedits without comment, but they discussed some issues in greater depth including how to define small-scale diversified farms, the value of in-season soil nitrate testing, the depth to which soil samples would provide an accurate measure of leaching risk, and use of the word “unreasonable” when describing low A-R or A/R values.
To complete the expert panel process, Chair Geisseler will present the report to the State Water Board at the Board’s June 16 meeting as an informational item. The meeting will be held in person at the Cal EPA building in Sacramento and also broadcast online.
The most recent version of the report is now available at https://ftp.waterboards.ca.
Upcoming Public Comment Opportunities
State Water Board staff note that interested parties may comment on the report during the June 16 State Water Board meeting. (For information on participating, view the meeting agenda by clicking here.) Additionally, staff anticipate that the State Water Board will create opportunities for public input through scoping meetings and/or workshops. Sign up for future updates on the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program by clicking here.
