Member Reporting Deadlines
| Requirement | Vulnerability | Farm Size | Due / Cycle | Certification | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farm Evaluations | All | All | 1 Mar 2021 → every 5 yrs | — | Submit to Coalition |
| Management Practice Evaluation Program (MPIR) | All | All | 1 Mar 2021 → every 5 yrs | — | Submit to Coalition |
| INMP Summary Report | All | All | 1 Mar 2021 → annual | — | Submit to Coalition |
| INMP Worksheet | High | All | 1 Mar 2020 → annual | Required | Keep on-farm (not submit to Coalition) |
| INMP Worksheet | Low | All | 1 Mar 2020 → annual | Only if outlier | Keep on-farm (not submit to Coalition) |
| Sediment & Erosion Control Plan | SDEAR*** | Large* | 180 days after SDEAR approval | — | Keep on-farm (not submit to Coalition) |
| Sediment & Erosion Control Plan | SDEAR*** | Small** | 1 yr after SDEAR approval | — | Keep on-farm (do not submit) |
*Large Farms = 60 irrigated acres or greater.
**Small Farming Operations = < 60 total irrigated acres in the Tulare Lake Basin Area.
***All farms identified in the Sediment Discharge & Erosion Assessment Report (SDEAR).
Management Practices Evaluation Program
The Management Practices Evaluation Program (MPEP) is a significant component of the regulatory requirements approved by the Central Valley Water Board. In order to implement this requirement in a scientifically sound and cost effective manner, the Kings River Coalition has partnered with 6 other coalitions to form the Southern San Joaquin Valley MPEP Committee.
The MPEP is designed to evaluate the impacts to groundwater quality coming from current farm practices and refine those practices (if necessary) in order to meet water quality standards. The best way to reduce impacts to groundwater quality are to implement best management practices that are specific for each individual farming operation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Coalition?
The Kings River Water Quality Coalition is a non-profit joint powers agency established by the irrigation districts in the Kings River service area. It is governed by a board of directors of landowners from each of the districts. Staffing of the Coalition is administered through an agreement with the Kings River Conservation District located in Fresno.
The Coalition was formed in 2009 in order to allow growers within the region a cost-effective avenue to comply with the regulations developed by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. The Coalition conducts regional monitoring and reporting and assists members in compliance with regulations. The Coalition is not a regulatory agency; enforcement of the ILRP is handled by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board.
What are the member dues and what will the membership dues be spent on?
The costs are $3.41/acre for parcels in a Priority 1 area, $3.64/acre for Priority 2, $3.14/acre for None, and $3.09/acre for De-Designated, plus a $30 administration fee for all members (which includes paying the State Water Resources Control Board fee of $1.55/acre). New member acreage fees are comprised of current-year and prior-year parcel designation.
The Coalition is responsible to implement the following on behalf of individual members:
- Representative Surface Water Quality Monitoring
- Representative Groundwater Quality Monitoring
- Aggregation and Summary Reporting of management practices and nitrogen management
- Identification of impacts to groundwater quality from members’ operations through the Management Practices Evaluation Program
- Implementation of a Groundwater Quality Management Plan designed to improve current groundwater quality
- Extensive Member Outreach and Education
Priority 1: The Kings, Kaweah, and four other groundwater subbasins were deemed highest priority (Priority 1), meaning their compliance with the NCP was accelerated compared to Priority 2. Notices to comply were received by nitrate dischargers in Priority 1 areas in May 2020.
Priority 2: The Tulare Lake and seven other groundwater subbasins were deemed next priority (Priority 2) for compliance. Notices to comply are anticipated within the next year.
None: Parcels outside groundwater subbasins and NCP priorities.
De-Designated: Parcels within the former Tulare Lake Bed (de-designated for municipal/domestic supply beneficial uses).
What if you don’t join the Coalition?
Irrigated lands can be covered under an individual discharge permit. The fees charged by the State Water Resources Control Board for individual coverage are significantly more than the fees charged to coalitions. Additionally, an individual operator must implement all monitoring and reporting requirements of that permit. Currently, these fees are expected to be $750 per farm plus $5.00 per acre per year, payable directly to the Regional Board. Laboratory monitoring costs, potential installation of monitoring wells, and other regulatory requirements will only add to this cost.
Failure to participate in the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program—either as a member of a coalition or as an individual—will subject the landowner to administrative penalties by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board under California Water Code section 13267.
Do I report APN Acres or Irrigated Acres?
Report irrigated acres within each parcel—not your house, shed, roads, etc. We still need the parcel numbers reported, but not the full parcel acreage.
Is joining a Third-Party mandatory?
No—joining is voluntary, but compliance with the General Order is mandatory under the regulation. All irrigated operations must join a coalition for coverage or obtain an individual permit through the Regional Board. Irrigated lands currently permitted under the dairy order or any other Regional Board permit are not subject to this General Order.
I’m in the process of purchasing additional farmland—what do I do?
Current members can add or remove parcels upon sale, purchase, or transfer of farmland. Notify the Coalition to update your membership once a transfer is complete.
Why should I participate in a Coalition?
The Regional Water Quality Control Board regulates all discharges of waste and requires all irrigated agriculture in the Central Valley to obtain regulatory coverage and conduct monitoring/reporting. You can do this by obtaining an individual permit directly from the Regional Board—or by joining the Coalition, which conducts regional monitoring and aggregates reporting on behalf of members. The Coalition also provides education, outreach, and hands-on assistance to help members comply with regulations.
Participation through the Coalition is the most cost-effective option: growers pay a reduced State fee and regional monitoring/reporting costs are substantially lower than if a grower obtained an individual permit.
Who can join the Coalition?
Either a landowner or an operator can join the Coalition and enroll parcels in our service area for regulatory coverage (see the “Boundaries” section on our website for more details). It is important that each parcel is covered by one entity—either the landowner or the operator, but not both.
The open enrollment period for our Coalition ended May 19, 2014. Growers can still join, but additional steps are required by the Regional Board to complete the membership process. Detailed instructions and requirements are available under the “Join Coalition” tab on our website.
What should I expect under the General Order?
The General Order covers discharges to both surface water and groundwater and makes no distinction between them for regulatory coverage. All members will be required to:
- Prepare and submit a Farm Evaluation Plan, a Nutrient Management Plan, and, if applicable, a Sediment & Erosion Control Plan.
- Participate in education and outreach events related to water quality.
- Maintain either an electronic or hard copy of the General Order where farm records are kept.
Requirements vary depending on the total acreage of your farming operation (above or below 60 acres) and whether your parcels are in a high- or low-vulnerability area. High vulnerability areas are regions where nitrate levels exceed the maximum contaminant level for groundwater; low vulnerability areas carry a reduced risk. The Coalition will identify these areas when it prepares a Groundwater Assessment Report (GAR), which includes a comprehensive study of groundwater data, soil conditions, and other leaching factors. Final determination of vulnerability areas is subject to approval by the Regional Board and typically occurs about one year after the adoption of the General Order (September 19, 2013).
Farm Management Plans: All members must submit a Farm Management Plan to the Coalition and keep an on-farm copy for potential Regional Board inspection. The Coalition will aggregate the Farm Evaluation information into a summary report (at the township level) for the Regional Board—no individual or parcel-level data are published.
High Vulnerability Areas: If your lands are in a high vulnerability area, you must complete a certified Nutrient Management Plan and submit a summary to the Coalition. The Coalition provides a template. Certification can be done by a Certified Crop Advisor, Pest Control Advisor, Soil Scientist, or NRCS-certified Technical Service Provider. Plans may also be self-certified under CDFA, NRCS, or UC Cooperative Extension standards.
Low Vulnerability Areas: If your lands are in a low vulnerability area, you must complete—but not submit—a Nutrient Management Plan. Keep an on-farm copy for inspection if requested; certification is not required in low vulnerability areas. The Coalition will aggregate all high vulnerability plans (township-level summary) and provide that summary to the Regional Board. Individual-level details remain confidential.
Sediment & Erosion Control: If your lands have potential for sediment or erosion runoff, you must prepare a Sediment & Erosion Control Plan outlining practices to control erosion during irrigation or storms. The Coalition provides a template and guidance for these plans as well.
Maps
Prior to joining the KRWQC, please verify that each parcel you own is within the KRWQC Boundary by viewing the map below. You can search by property address to help you identify whether your property is within the KRWQC Boundary or in another Coalition. Please note that you can only join the Coalition of which your property is within. The Second map identifies areas designated as High Vulnerability within the KRWQC Boundary.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
The Kings River Water Quality Coalition is a non-profit joint powers agency established by the irrigation districts in the Kings River service area. It is governed by a board of directors of landowners from each of the districts. Staffing of the Coalition is administered through an agreement with the Kings River Conservation District located in Fresno. The Coalition was formed in 2009 in order to allow growers withing the region a cost-effective avenue to comply with the regulations developed by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. The Coalition conducts regional monitoring and reporting and assists members in compliance with regulations. The Coalition is not a regulatory agency. Enforcement of the ILRP is handled by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board.
The costs are $3.41/acre for parcels in a Priority 1* area, $3.64 for Priority 2*, $3.14 for *None area, and $3.09 for *De-designated area plus a $30 administration fee for all members, which includes paying the State Water Resources Control Board Fee of $1.55/acre. New member acreage fees are comprised of current and prior year parcel designation.
The Coalition is responsible to implement the following on behalf of the individual members
- Representative Surface Water Quality Monitoring
- Representative Groundwater Quality Monitoring
- Aggregation and Summary Reporting of management practices and nitrogen management
- Identification of the impacts to groundwater quality from members’ operations through implementation of the Management Practices Evaluation Program
- Implementation of a Groundwater Quality Management Plan designed to improve current groundwater quality
- Extensive Member Outreach and Education
*Priority 1: The Kings, Kaweah and four other groundwater subbasins were deemed the highest priority, Priority 1, which means their compliance with the NCP was accelerated compared to Priority 2 subbasins. Notices to comply were received by Nitrate dischargers in
the Priority 1 areas in May 2020.
*Priority 2 The Tulare Lake and seven other groundwater subbasins that were deemed the next priority, Priority 2, for compliance with the NCP. Notices to comply are anticipated within the next year.
*None: Parcels outside of groundwater subbasins and NCP priorities.
*De-Designated: Parcels within the former Tulare Lake Bed which has been de-designated for municipal and domestic supply beneficial uses.
Irrigated lands can be covered under an individual discharge permit. The fees charged by the State Water Resources Control Board for individual coverage are significantly more than the fees charged to coalitions. Also, the individual will be expected to implement the monitoring and reporting requirements of the permit. Currently, these fees are expected to be $750 per farm plus $5.00 per acre per year, payable directly to the Regional Board. Laboratory monitoring costs, potential installation of monitoring wells, and other regulatory requirements will only add to this cost.
Failure to participate in the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program, either as a member of a coalition or as an individual will subject the landowner to administrative penalties by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board under California Water Code section 13267.
Report irrigated acres within each parcel not your house, shed, roads, etc. We still need the parcel numbers reported but not the parcel acres.
No – joining is voluntary, but compliance with the General Order is mandatory under the regulation. All irrigated operations must join a coalition for coverage or get an individual permit through the Regional Board. Irrigated lands that are currently permitted under the dairy order, or any other Regional Board permit is not subject to this General Order.
Current members can add or subtract additional parcels upon sale, purchase, or transfer of additional farmland. Notify the Coalition to update your membership once a transfer is complete.
The Regional Water Quality Control Board regulates all discharges of waste and requires all irrigated agriculture in the Central Valley to obtain regulatory coverage and conduct monitoring and reporting. This can be done on an individual farm basis by obtaining an individual permit directly with the Regional Board or by joining the Coalition group which conducts regional monitoring and aggregates reporting to the Regional Board. The Coalition also conducts education and outreach and assists members in complying with the Regional Board’s regulation. Complying with the regulation through the Coalition is the most cost-effective option for growers. Growers pay a reduced State fee through the Coalition and monitoring and reporting costs are substantially more if growers were to obtain an individual permit.
Either a landowner or operator can join the coalition and enroll parcels in our service area for regulatory coverage (see Boundaries section for more details on our service area). It is important that all parcels be covered by either the landowner or the operator. Both do not have to enroll and the coalition will only allow coverage by one entity. The open enrollment period for our Coalition ended May 19, 2014. Growers can still join the Coalition, but additional steps are required by the Regional Board in order complete the membership process. Additional details on these requirements are under the Join Coalition tab of the website.
The General Order covers discharges to both surface water and groundwater and makes no distinction between the two for regulatory coverage. All members will be required to prepare and submit a Farm Evaluation Plan, a Nutrient Management Plan, and, if applicable, a Sediment and Erosion Control Plan. The requirements for implementation, preparing and submitting these plans vary depending on the collective size of the farming operations (above or below 60 total acres) and whether the parcels are located in a high- or low-vulnerability area. Members will be required to participate in education and outreach events concerning water quality. Either an electronic or hard copy of the General Order must be maintained where farm records are kept.
The Coalition will identify vulnerable areas when it prepares a Groundwater Assessment Report (GAR). The GAR will include a comprehensive study of available groundwater data, soil conditions, and other factors that potentially lead to the leaching of unused agricultural chemicals into groundwater. High vulnerability areas are regions where nitrates exceed the maximum contaminant level (under drinking water standard) for groundwater, while low vulnerability areas are areas where the risk to groundwater is reduced. The determination of the high and low vulnerability areas should occur approximately one year after the adoption date of the General Order, which occured on September 19, 2013. While the Coalition prepares this report, final determination of High and Low Vulnerable Areas will be subject to approval from the Regional Board.
Under the General Order, all members will be required to submit a Farm Management Plan. The Coalition will provide all members with a template for the plan. The plan will be submitted to the Coalition and the member will maintain an on-farm copy for Regional Board inspection, if requested.
The Coalition will summarize the information in the Farm Evaluations received from members and submit a summary report to the Regional Board. The summary report will not include parcel- or member-specific information. If your lands fall within the high vulnerability area, members will be required to complete a certified Nutrient Management Plan and submit a summary to the Coalition. Again, the Coalition will provide all members with a template for the plan. These plans focus on nitrogen-based fertilizers and compare the amount of applied nitrogen against the crop nitrogen requirements. The plan can be certified by a Certified Crop Advisor, Pest Control Advisor, Soil Scientist, or Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)-certified Technical Service Provider. Plans may also be self-certified under California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), the NRCS, or the UC Cooperative Extension.
If lands fall with the low vulnerability area, members with be required to complete but not submit the Nutrient Management Plan and will maintain an on-farm copy for Regional Board inspection, if requested. Nutrient Management Plans in low vulnerability areas do not require certification.
The Coalition will summarize the information in the plans received from members in the high vulnerability areas and submit a summary report at a township level of detail to the Regional Board. The summary report will not include parcel- or member-specific information. All Nutrient Management Plans need to be kept on-farm and made available to Regional Board staff if so requested. If your lands have a potential for the run-off of sediment or erosion, you will required to prepare a Sediment and Erosion Control Plan. This plan outlines practices to be implemented to control sediment or erosion during irrigation or storm events.