Ken Tate UCDavis Watershed Specialist and
Holly George Plumas-Sierra UCCE Advisor
work with the local monitoring team
Developing Management Plans
with UC Davis Rangeland Watershed Specialist
Stream Flow & Temperature Measurements
Smithneck Creek Irrigation Ditch
On-Ranch Monitoring

                       The 2011 Irrigated Lands Program monitoring will begin with the initial sampling event in May.

            A coalition wide Management Plan will be part of the 2011 season activities to respond to water quality concerns   
    identified during the 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 seasons.  Nutrient Management Surveys were conducted in 2010.  
    Further surveys and educational outreach may be a part of the coalition-wide plan to help document successful
    management measures by agriculture dischargers and identify opportunities for further implementations.  

            UFRWG is coordinating with the NRCS (Natural Resource Conservation Service) and the Plumas County Flood
    Control and Water Conservation District to provide financial and technical assistance to help interested ranchers
    and farmers to develop water  quality and conservation projects for their individual ranch and farm operations that will
    help meet water quality goals of the of the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program.  Five landowner implementation
    projects have been selected for Plumas Watershed Forum Funding for the first round of applications.  Interested
    landowners should contact Dan at NRCS  520-283-1175, or Carol at UFRWGroup  530-823-8815,
    or Brian at the Flood Control District 283-6243.

            UFRWG will be partnering with other local organizations (SV-RCD, Plumas-Sierra Cattlemen's Association and
    Sierra County Firesafe and Watershed Council and/or others to conduct our annual Ranch Field Day for 2011.   
    These voluntary tours & workshops are designed to help landowners share success stories and identify and achieve
    their own production and management goals as we strive to meet state water quality goals together.   

                
                 http://rangelandwatersheds.ucdavis.edu/main/projects.htm   California Rangeland Watershed Laboratory
Upper Feather River Watershed Group
      PO Box 975    Loyalton, Ca  96118
         Plumas and Sierra Counties

                    Irrigated Lands Discharge Monitoring
              ILRP - Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program
                   Monthly ambient stream monitoring includes
                   grab samples and field measurements

    Field Measurements:
    Flow:   stream width, depth and velocity are measured with a Flow Meter

    Temperature:   water and air temperatures are recorded each visit,
                       continuous recordings by temperature loggers were installed for       
                       Prop 50 years monitoring

    Dissolved oxygen:  DO meters are used to measure DO (dissolved oxygen),
                               and ambient temperature

    ph:  ph meters are used at each site to obtain ph readings
       
        Electrical Conductivity:  a handheld meter is used to acquire a reading

    Lab Analysis:
    Grab samples  one liter samples are collected at each site to be analyzed at    
    Sierra Environmental Monitoring Lab for the following constituents:

    Nutrients; nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, etc
    Pathogens:  fecal coliform, e.coli indicators
    Electrical Conductivity (EC)
    Total Organic Carbon (TOC)
    Turbidity
    Toxicity: samples collected under Prop 50 studies and tested for three ILP sites
    Macro Invertebrate: studies were conducted Under Prop 50 during 2007/2008

    Several constituents are not tested in our watershed because documentation    
    and initial testing confirm they are low risk elements in the upper feather river     
    watershed region. These constituents include pesticides and other chemicals,
    salinity, and trace metal elements.

     For more information on UFRW Prop 50 & UCCE Monitoring go to:    
    http://ucce-plumas-sierra.ucdavis.edu/Ag_Water_Quality_Program208/


    Water Quality Standards of significance to UFRW Agriculture Practices:

    E.coli: more than 235cfu/100ml
    cfu=colony forming units

    DO dissolved oxygen:  less than 7.0 mg/liter

    pH: between 6.5—8.5 is ok    

    Individual UFRW sites have had more than one
    "exceedance" of the above standards, which
    triggers a management plan requirement by the ILRP - Irrigated Lands
    Regulatory Program.

    The DO/pH study has been approved by the Regional Water Quality Control
    Board for completion of Management Plan requirements.  The Study successfully
    showed that natural diurnal elements rather than agriculture discharges are
    driving the Dissolved Oxygen and pH patterns in our watershed.  The 2010
    pathogen management surveys, on-going educational field days and ag
    workshops, and coalition documentation of ranch water quality projects will help
    meet the Management Plan requirements for E.coli.  
UFRWG   Agriculture Stakeholders advancing water stewardship