Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
State Water Board expert panel backs release of draft nitrate report amid debate over regional 'limits' vs. 'targets'
Summary
A statewide agricultural expert panel for the State Water Resources Control Board agreed to release a draft report for public comment but spent much of its March 11 meeting arguing over whether regional water boards should be urged to set enforceable interim nitrate limits or be left to adopt voluntary targets and outlier processes.
The State Water Resources Control Board’s statewide agricultural expert panel working group voted to move the draft agricultural nitrate recommendations out for public comment after a lengthy March 11 meeting, but panelists split over whether the report should recommend that regional boards set enforceable interim limits or allow voluntary targets coupled with technical assistance.
Panel Chair Daniel Gistler of UC Davis led a line‑by‑line review of the draft and asked members to flag language they wanted changed before the document is circulated. Analisa Kiara, assistant deputy director for the State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Water Quality, told the panel the board would "participate in the public comment period to share any input we have for the panel to consider alongside all other comments received" and summarized the schedule: Chair Gistler will send a clean draft to board staff by March 13, dissenting opinions from panel members should be submitted by March 23 for insertion in Attachment E, and staff aim to release the public draft on or before March 30 for a 30‑day comment period.
Why it matters: the panel is advising the State Water Resources Control Board on how to address nitrate pollution from irrigated agriculture, a long‑standing threat to groundwater…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
