SHASTA-TEHAMA
STWEC: (530) 527-4208
Watershed Education Coalition
oFFICE HOURS: m-T 9AM-3PM Friday 9AM-12PM PO BOX 933 RED BLUFF, CA 96080
Notice of Confirmation (NOC) Final Letter.pdf STWEC is in place to assist its members for compliance with the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board’s Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program. As of March 12, 2014, the new Waste Discharge Requirements and Monitoring Reporting Program collectively known as the General Order (Order) require each member to submit monitoring and evaluation reports. Order compliance requires a substantial increase in the collection of information and reporting by members and STWEC staff to include:
Notice of Confirmation: The required Notice of Confirmation (NOC) was included in the annual invoice sent to STWEC members at the end of December 2014. Regulatory coverage under this Order is automatically terminated if STWEC does not receive the signed NOC by June 30, 2015. Signing the NOC indicates that the irrigator is aware of the Order and chooses to meet the regulatory coverage as a STWEC member. The NOC also confirms that owners and operators of irrigated lands are required to maintain a hard or electronic copy of the Order at the farm headquarters and that the owner and/or operator shall be familiar with the contents.
Farm Evaluation Survey: Active STWEC members can access and input their Farm Evaluation information with the new Data Management Tool (DMT). The survey remains the same; 5 sections for members to complete and is to reflect member’s crop management practices used during the previous crop year. This new system is developed to ease reporting requirements of the WDRs and serves as a cost savings to compliance. The pre-populated (auto-filled) Farm Evaluation will not longer be post mailed. We will make every effort to help you through the new reporting process and make it as easy as possible. Use the DMT How-To Guide to get started.
With the simplicity of the new system features, members can print Annual Nitrogen Management Plan forms, submit or update annual Farm Evaluation Survey information and submit annual Nitrogen Management Plan Summary Reports for irrigated acreage located in high vulnerability areas using the online fillable form.
Nitrogen Management Plan: In addition to the Farm Evaluation Survey, commercial irrigators are required to complete the Nitrogen Management Plan (NMP) to comply. The NMP is also referred to as the Nitrogen Management Plan Worksheet. Worksheet Instructions serve as a reference to complete the Nitrogen Management Plan document. Note that the numbering in this document differs slightly from the NMP Worksheet. See theResource section on the Library tab for supportive NMP information. Members located within a groundwater High Vulnerability Area (HVA) must prepare and implement a Certified Nitrogen Management Plan annually. To comply with the Order, the plan must be certified in one of the following ways and is to remain on farm:
- Self-certification by the member who attends a California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) or other Executive Officer approved training program for nitrogen plan certification. Workshop dates TBD and will be posted on this website; or
- Self-certified by the member who’s NMP plan adheres to a site-specific recommendation from the Natural Resource Conservation Services (NRCS) or the University of California Cooperative Extension. Member must retain a written documentation of the recommendation; or
- Certified by a nitrogen management plan specialist as defined in Attachment E of the Order. Such specialist include Professional Soil Scientist, Professional Agronomists, Crop Advisors certified by the American Society of Agronomy, or Technical Service Providers certified in nutrient management in California by the NRCS; or
- Certified in an alternative manner approved by the Executive Officer. Such approval will be provided based on the Executive Officer’s determination that the alternative method for preparing the Nitrogen Management Plan meets the objectives and requirements of this Order.
Nitrogen Management Plan Summary Report: In addition to the Nitrogen Management Plan Worksheet, commercial irrigators with parcels within a groundwater High Vulnerability Area (HVA) must complete and submit a Summary Report based on the NMP Worksheet. The Summary Report is to be submitted to STWEC by March 1, 2022.
Sediment and Erosion Control Plan (SECP): In addition to the certified Nitrogen Management Plan, commercial irrigators with parcels within an area susceptible to sediment and erosion are to complete and submit a certified Sediment and Erosion Control Plan. Review the SECPinstructions, before completing the SECP template. A sample SECPis also available. This plan is to be updated annually as on-farm conditions dictate. There is no need to submit this plan to STWEC, please keep on-farm or at the place of business. Self-certification training and test is now available online for members with this designation. Available February 2022: SECP Online Training and Test. For further insight, review the SECP self-certification curriculumresources with the SECP self-certification training session. Note, a member with this designation must enroll in the training session and pass the test with a score of 70% or better to certify their SECP.
Access to the Waste Discharge Order: To comply with the Order, owners and operators of irrigated lands are required to maintain a hard or electronic copy of the Waste Discharge Order at the farm headquarters and that the owner and/or operator shall be familiar with the contents. SeeILRP tab for updates. Amended Waste Discharge Requirements General Order, adopted 17 February 2022.