By Paul Sousa, Director of Regulatory and Environmental Affairs

The Central Valley Water Board recently sent out certified letters to all Central Valley dairies. It is usually concerning to get a certified letter from them, but in this case, it is not something to worry about. The letter requires two things:

1. All irrigated parcels must be covered under one of the water board’s programs, usually either the dairy permit or the irrigated lands regulatory program.
2. All irrigated parcels covered under the dairy permit must be included in the dairy’s nutrient management plan and annual reports.

Most dairies already do this and will not have to make any changes. Dairies should check that all the parcels they manage are covered under one of the programs. If there are parcels that are currently not covered, then those parcels should be enrolled under one of the programs. Dairies will need to submit something with the next annual report, due July 1, 2022, confirming that they are aware of this directive and that they have complied. If you have any questions on this, I would be happy to answer them. For more information check out CDQAP’s October Newsletter HERE.