Some dairies in the Central Valley recently received a postcard from the

water board. No, the water board did not vacation to Europe for a year. This postcard to dischargers in Priority 2 groundwater basins (Delta Mendota, Eastern San Joaquin, Madera, Merced, parts of Kern County, Tulare Lake, and Yolo) states that new regulations will change your permit requirements and that recipients will be asked to choose how to comply.

We have a precedent from the dairies in Priority 1 zones that received these notices several years ago. With that experience, my main message is that there is no reason to panic. Dairies that are members of the Central Valley Dairy Representative Monitoring Program (CVDRMP) (95%+ of dairies) are automatically enrolled in their local nitrate management zone, which makes the process simple. There will be a cost that will be billed through the CVDRMP, but those costs are not yet known. There should be a better understanding of those costs early next year.

The CVDRMP has been engaged with the nitrate management zones to make certain that dairy interests are represented. This postcard was just a notice of what is to come, so watch for more information on this in the coming months. If you have any questions on this, feel free to contact me at [email protected] or at the WUD office.