August 2007

Updated membership information is submitted to the Regional Board.

June 2007

The Kings River Sub-Watershed Water Quality Coalition members receive billing statements to maintain their membership in the coalition.

April 2007

The Regional Board requests payment from the coalitions as a condition of membership. The Kings River Sub-Watershed Water Quality Coalition pays fees directly to the Regional Board on behalf of its members.

January 2007

Membership information is submitted to the Regional Board.

June - December 2006

The Kings River Sub-Watershed Water Quality Coalition accepts members until the December 31, 2006 deadline.

June 2006

A new 5-year agricultural waiver program was adopted requiring coalition participation lists by September 30, 2006, and establishing a deadline for joining a coalition of December 31, 2006.

November 2005

The Regional Board extended the current waiver without change through June 2006 so that two critical issues could be addressed: (1) collection of membership information; and (2) developing a definition of "discharger".

September 2005

The Regional Board make a number of decisions related to the Waiver: (1) how far upstream agricultural discharge monitoring would be required; (2) groundwater would not be included in the current waiver program; (3) monitoring and reporting rules would be tightened; and (4) coalition membership lists would be provided.

January 2004

The State Board upheld the Regional Board's July 2003 requirements with certain exemptions. The State Board decided not to require immediate submission of personal information about coalition participants in connection with agricultural discharges unless a water quality problem were detected through monitoring.

October 2003

The agricultural community appealed to the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) the requirement to identify all individuals that are participating in the water quality coalitions.

July 2003

Due to strong protests from the environmental community, the December 5, 2002 waiver was rescinded. A conditional Waiver of Waste Discharge Requirements (Waiver) was adopted by the Regional Board on July 11, 2003, which included much more stringent components:

• Identification of all individuals participating in water quality coalitions - owner and operator names, addresses, phone numbers and parcel numbers.
• Affirmative sign-up by all landowners within the watershed whereby they commit to participate in the watershed coalition.
• Monitoring that includes sampling for all major pesticide classes, herbicides and nutrients as well as standard materials, heavy metals and pathogens.

December 2002

The Regional Board adopted a resolution to develop a watershed-based conditional waiver program centered on monitoring agricultural discharge and storm water runoff.

1999

The California legislature passed SB 390 requiring all waivers in place as of January 1, 2000 to sunset on January 1, 2003. This legislation mandated that any newly issued waivers would be in effect no longer than five years. Agriculture would be obligated to apply for WDRs unless the Regional Board adopted another waiver.

1982

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board) adopted a resolution granting agriculture a waiver exempting it from this requirement.

1969 - 1972

The Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act of 1969 and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972 (better known as the Clean Water Act) required agriculture to apply for Waste Discharge Requirements (WDRs) for its discharges.

Last updated: 11-5-07