Agriculture is the number one industry in Santa Barbara County. Unfortunately, agriculture is also a leading source of water pollution in our area. When rain or irrigation water washes over agricultural fields, salts, nutrients, heavy metals and pesticides are mobilized and transported to the nearest waterbody.

For twenty years, agricultural operations in the state have been exempt from most of the requirements from California’s clean water laws. A new state law effective January 1, 2003 eliminated all waivers from waste discharge requirements, while allowing Regional Water Boards to issue new waivers for agricultural properties if they are consistent with the region’s Water Quality Control Plan (also known as Basin Plans) and are in the public interest.

In 2003-2004, environmental organizations including Channelkeeper worked with members of the agricultural community to try to reach common ground on a program to address agricultural pollution. Channelkeeper joined with several other Central Coast environmental groups in a May 2004 letter urging the Regional Water Board to implement a rigorous program to reduce agricultural runoff and improve water quality. In particular, we called on the Regional Board to create a regulatory program to: require all farmers to develop water quality farm plans and implement best management practices to prevent polluted runoff; require all farmers to participate in water quality education to ensure they receive necessary technical assistance to develop effective farm plans and identify and implement best management practices; monitor agricultural pollutants in water, including pesticides and nutrients; implement a fee system so the program can fund itself; and provide for adequate enforcement to ensure compliance.

The Regional Board took action on a new regulatory program for the 2,500 central coast farmers who have been exempt from waste discharge requirements in July 2004. They held a public hearing at which they adopted a conditional waiver of waste discharge requirements for irrigated agricultural operations on the Central Coast. The conditional waiver requires farmers to develop farm water quality management plans that address, at a minimum, irrigation management, nutrient management, pesticide management and erosion control; begin implementing best management practices identified in their plans; conduct monitoring to ensure compliance with the waiver requirements; and complete 15 hours of farm water quality education within three years.

In 2006, we joined the Ocean Conservancy, EDC and the Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo in a letter to the Regional Water Board supporting continued and strengthened implementation of their agricultural waiver program. Click here to read our letter.
 
Channelkeeper continues to engage in additional advocacy and monitoring to protect local waterways from pollution due to agricultural runoff. 

Click here to read more about agricultural discharge on the lower Ventura River. 

Click here to read more about efforts to stop polluted agricultural discharges in April 2010.