Surface Water Monitoring for the 2026 year is on-going.
The Rice Pesticide Program (RPP) is a 10-week surface water monitoring program administered by the CRC on behalf of the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR). The RPP originally monitored 5 rice pesticides, though now only includes one; thiobencarb. There have been no detections above performance goals in the program this year to date.
The Regional Water Board administers the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program (ILRP). Rice has the only commodity specific Waste Discharge Requirements (WDR), which requires surface and groundwater quality monitoring. Rice monitors two pesticides every year, along with other water quality parameters. Additional monitoring is being conducted at specific sites for pyrethroids and for green algae toxicity.
Pyrethroid (lambda-cyhalothrin) testing results at the upper Colusa Basin Drain (near Colusa) reported chronic triggers and toxicity for the early and late May events. Green algae toxicity results for Butte Slough and Sacramento Slough are pending.
Growers and pesticide applicators should know and follow applicable regulations and reporting requirements, including the label use. The CRC continues to work on behalf of the industry to conduct required monitoring and interface 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 compliance with the regulatory programs and their good stewardship of the crop protection products used while providing outstanding environmental benefits.
For more information, contact the CRC’s Industry Affairs Manager Craig Riddle at criddle@calrice.org.
