legislative briefing march 13, 2012 - california · legislative briefing march 13, 2012 thomas...
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Legislative BriefingMarch 13, 2012
Thomas Harter & Jay Lund, Principal Investigators
Jeannie Darby, Graham Fogg, Richard Howitt, Katrina Jessoe, Jim Quinn, Stu Pettygrove, Joshua Viers,Co-Investigators
Aaron King, Allan Hollander, Alison McNally, Anna Fryjoff-Hung, Cathryn Lawrence, Daniel Liptzin, Danielle Dolan, Dylan Boyle, Elena Lopez, Giorgos Kourakos, Holly Canada, Josue Medellin-Azuara, Kristin Dzurella, Kristin Honeycutt, Megan Mayzelle, Mimi Jenkins, Nicole de la Mora, Todd Rosenstock, Vivian Jensen, Researchers
Watershed Science CenterUniversity of California, Davis
Contact: [email protected]
UC Davis Role
UC Davis TeamIndependent Analysis:
Science/TechnologyEconomics/Cost
Policy/Funding Options
SWRCBProject Contractor
Interagency Task Force (ITF)OtherAgencies/Districts/Public
Bill Sponsors / Legislature Legislature
• Data• Reports
• Other Info• Related Projects• Presentations
• Data• Reports
• Other Info• Related Projects• Presentations
SB X 2-1Report to
Legislature
UCDReport to
Legislature
Nitrate Contamination Study Area
#1: Sources of NitrateN Loading / Sources
#2: Nitrate Source ReductionN Loading Reduction Options / Source Control
#3: Groundwater Nitrate
Nitrate distribution in groundwater / spatial and temporal trends
#4: Groundwater Remediation
Remediation of groundwater
N treatment options
#5: Drinking Water Treatment
Alternative supplies
XX
X X X
#6: Alternative Supplies
Economic Cost
#7: Costs of Actions
#8: Funding and Policy
Funding and Regulatory Framework
Treatment / Alternative Supply
N LoadingReductions
GroundwaterRemediation
Decade(s) later
KEY FINDINGS
Nitrate Contamination Will Persist
• Nitrate contamination will worsen for years/decades
• Direct remediation of groundwater is extremely costly
RED: ABOVE THE NITRATE MCL (45 mg/L)DARK RED: ABOVE TWICE THE NITRATE MCL (90 mg/L)
Estimated locations of the area’s roughly 400 regulated community public and state-documented state small water systems and of 74,000 unregulated self-supplied water systems. Source: Honeycutt et al. 2012; CDPH PICME 2010.
12%30%
7%
7%
8%
% of Domestic Wells > 45 mg/L
• Most cost-effective drinking water supply actions:
• Blending• Treatment (community, point-of-use)• Consolidation/regionalization• Other alternative supplies
• Affordability difficult for small communities
• Promising revenue sources:• Fee on nitrogen fertilizer use• Fee on water use• Local compensation under Section
13304 of CA Water Code
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• Nitrate loading reductions are possible
• Largest cropland nitrogen sources:• Synthetic fertilizer• Animal manure
Irrigation waterAtmosphere
SyntheticFertilizer
Biosolids
Effluent
Poultry, Swine
Dairy Manure
AtmosphereRunoff
Leaching to Groundwater
Harvest
18
Total Nitrogen Inputs:420,000 tons N/yr
Total Nitrogen Outputs:420,000 tons N/yr
33Assume: All Manure Remains On‐Dairy
1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
1M ac
2M ac
3M ac
4M ac
110,000
220,000
330,000
440,000
Cropland AreaCropland Area
(without Alfalfa)
tons N/yr
lbs N/ac/crop
110
220
330
660
approximatereductionneeded
N applied
N harvested
nitratePercent Reduction in Nitrate Load to GroundwaterPerc
ent R
educ
tion
in F
arm
Net
Rev
enue 25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
farm net revenue reductionat constant crop yield rates
Data for Assessing Public Exposureand Nitrate Sources are Limited
• Inconsistent, often inaccessible, gaps• Agencies not organized to gather data or make
effective use of data
? ?
?
Key Take Home Messages
• Safe drinking water is the most pressing issue• Challenges: organization and funding
• Nitrate loading can be reduced, long-term• Challenges: training, research, investment, compliance,
and funding
• State needs to collect and organize data to allow for better assessment
• Challenges: institutional silos, organization, privacy issues/data security, and funding
• See back page of the “Executive Summary”