Water Quality

Water Quality •

2024 Water Quality Monitoring Start

2024 Water Quality Monitoring Start

Water Quality Monitoring Programs Begin April 30th  

The water quality monitoring under the Rice Pesticide Program (RPP) and Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program Waste Discharge Requirements (WDR) will begin on April 30th. 

The RPP monitors for thiobencarb for 10 consecutive weeks at 4 agricultural drain sites and one site in the Sacramento River near downtown Sacramento. The monitoring program for the WDR will commence in May at the same 4 agricultural drain sites. The WDR program monitors 2 selected pesticides and general water chemistry and includes pyrethroid and toxicity monitoring at select locations. The surface water programs will continue until mid-summer. Groundwater monitoring for nitrates at 11 select shallow wells across the rice-growing areas of the valley will be conducted in August.

Additional monitoring may be conducted in each program at upstream locations to better understand the sources of last year’s detections of thiobencarb and pyrethroids.  The results of the water quality monitoring programs are used by the Central Valley Water Board and other stakeholders to determine compliance with rice’s regulatory orders and to evaluate our industry management practices.

For more information, contact the CRC’s Industry Affairs Manager Craig Riddle at criddle@calrice.org or (916) 812-3468.

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Rice Water Quality Programs Monitoring Update
Water Quality •

Rice Water Quality Programs Monitoring Update

Monitoring for 2025 is halfway complete.

The 2025 surface water monitoring under the RPP and WDR programs is ongoing.

For the Rice Pesticide Program (RPP), there have been a handful of detections in late May, none of which were above the agricultural drain performance goal.  The latest results from early June were non-detectable.  

The Rice Waste Discharge Requirements (WDR) surface water program is in an assessment year, which means additional sampling for pesticides and toxicity.

Pyrethroids used in rice have been reported in association with water toxicity at the upper Colusa Basin Drain this year for multiple events.  The California Rice Commission (CRC) sent out letters earlier this year requesting the use reporting information (to be submitted in the fall) for pyrethroid users in the area.  Algal water toxicity was reported in the Sacramento Slough near Karnak as well.  

The CRC continues to work on behalf of the industry to conduct required monitoring and interface in reporting with the Water Board.  Additional efforts are underway to assess and analyze water quality trends across the valley and gather information from industry on uses and operational patterns.

We appreciate the industry’s support of the regulatory programs and their good stewardship of the commercial products used and protection of the environment.

For more information, contact the CRC’s Industry Affairs Manager Craig Riddle at criddle@calrice.org.