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Drinking Water Well Testing for Nitrates

Drinking Water Well Testing for Nitrates

Complete the required annual testing for 2025

Nitrate (NO3) in soil can often be found in rural and agricultural areas due to fertilizer, livestock waste, and septic systems.  When present in groundwater, nitrate can cause serious health effects if consumed.

The California Rice Commission’s Waste Discharge Requirement (WDR) mandates that, starting in 2022, each grower (or landowner) must perform annual testing for nitrates solely in drinking water supply wells located on rice-producing parcels. The results are sent directly from the analytical laboratory to the State’s GeoTracker database, with only APN and well sample data available to the public.

  • If the nitrate concentration is below 8 mg/L nitrate+nitrite as N in three consecutive annual samples, the Grower (or landowner) may conduct sampling once every five years going forward.  
  • If the nitrate concentration is between 8 mg/L and 10 mg/L nitrate+nitrite as N, the Grower (or landowner) must continue annual sampling. 
  • If the nitrate concentration exceeds 10 mg/L of nitrate+nitrite as N, the Grower (or landowner) must provide notice to the users within 10 days of learning of the exceedance and send a copy of the notice to the Central Valley Water Board.  If your sample result was greater than 10 mg/L and you have notified all drinking water well users and the Central Valley Water Board, you can stop further sampling.

The laboratory submittal template, notification template, sample collection methods, frequently asked questions, and more information are located at CalRiceNews.org under the Drinking Water Well button. Please only use a laboratory with a California ELAP certification.

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

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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.