San Luis Obispo CA (1/24/2019) – The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board has approved a
settlement for $55,164 with Guggia Farms, Inc. of Santa Barbara County for failure to submit data and
information used to monitor water quality impacts to surface and groundwater sources.
The violations include failure to submit individual surface water discharge monitoring data; late
submittals of the annual compliance form, total nitrogen applied reports, an irrigation and nutrient
management plan effectiveness report, a water quality buffer plan and technical report documentation
required under Water Code section 13267.
The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Water Board) adopted the
Conditional Waiver of Waste Discharge Requirements for Discharges from Irrigated Lands (Ag Order)
in 2012, which was updated in 2017. The Ag Order requires landowners and operators with farms
growing commercial irrigated crops to obtain regulatory coverage by enrolling the farm in the Ag Order.
During the enrollment procedure, staff assigns the farm a tier, with Tier 1 ranches having the fewest
reporting requirements and Tier 3 having the most reporting requirements. Landowners and operators
with Tier 2 and Tier 3 farms are required to complete, and keep up to date, an annual compliance form.
Landowners and operators with Tier 2 and Tier 3 farms growing high-risk crops (those that have a high
risk of discharging nitrogen to groundwater) are required to submit an annual total nitrogen applied
report.
A subset of landowners and operators with Tier 3 farms are required to develop and implement a water
quality buffer plan and an irrigation and nutrient management plan (INMP); growers required to develop
an INMP must submit an effectiveness report of their INMP. Guggia Farms is ranked as a Tier 3 ranch
because they reported chlorpyrifos applications to the Department of Pesticide Regulation, and
irrigation and stormwater discharge in the annual compliance form submitted to the Regional Water
Board. The data requirements are used to ensure that farms are achieving water quality objectives in
their management practices.
Landowners and operators growing commercial irrigated crops must enroll farms by submitting an
electronic Notice of Intent. For more information about the Ag Order requirements, contact Irrigated
Lands Regulatory Program staff at AgNOI@waterboards.ca.gov, or call 805-549-3148.
Contact: Christopher J. Rose Chris.Rose@waterboards.ca.gov
