2011
UFRWG Irrigated Lands Program

Irrigation season water quality monitoring will begin in May
and be conducted monthly through October.   
                                                                                          
The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (CVRWQCB) has approved
UFRWG request for reduction in the number of monitoring sites from 3 sites to one
representative ILRP site for the watershed.
Similar site reductions in other watersheds has been approved
where monitoring results support such a reduction.

A coalition wide Management Plan will be part of the 2011 season activities.
Details will be distributed to the members once that information is available.

Landowner surveys, educational field days and workshops will be some of the
activities conducted by the Coalition and its membership as part of the
Management Plan during the 2011 season.

Implementation of water quality and water conservation projects with the assistance of
NRCS and other area programs will continue throughout the season.  
Many active UFRWGroup members have completed water quality related
conservation projects already and numerous interested landowners will be receiving
project funding assistance this year to begin new projects.

Additional funding sources for member projects and BMP implementation are
becoming available and any landowner interested in financial and technical   
assistance for such a project is encouraged to contact one of the Board of Directors
for more information.

2011 Irrigation Season Monitoring Schedule
1st Sampling Event
June

2nd Sampling Event
July

3rd Sampling Event
August

4th Sampling Event
September

5 th Sampling Event
October
Upper  Feather  River  Watershed  Group
     PO Box 975  Loyalton, Ca  96118
     Plumas and Sierra Counties
2006 Monitoring Season
2007 Monitoring Season
2008 Monitoring Season
UFRWG  Agriculture Stakeholders Advancing water stewardship
Indian Creek site below Arlington Bridge                                 Middle Fork FR site above Grizzly Creek confluence
               Indian Valley                                                                                Sierra Valley

UFRWGroup  monitors irrigated lands discharges at three Regional Water Board approved sampling sites

                                       Spanish Creek below Greenhorn Creek confluence
                                                               American Valley
                  Upper Feather River Agriculture and Water Quality

           Many challenges are faced by UFRWG landowners, ranchers and agriculture producers to
    improve productivity of forage, crop and livestock farming operations and be mindful of
    maintaining the water quality of the upper Feather River creeks and streams.

             As natural resource and water quality awareness continue to increase in
    importance across the state, the agricultural community is stepping up to do their
    part in meeting water quality goals.   

           Monitoring  in the upper Feather River watershed by local landowners began in 2005 by
    the 110 member UFRWG as part of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board’s
    (RWQCB) Irrigated Lands Program (ILRP).   Plumas-Sierra UCCE, with Proposition 50 funding,  
    has assisted the UFRWG with their monitoring.  Water quality standards have been set by the
    RWQCB and monitoring has provided local farmers and ranchers a tool to evaluate their efforts
    in  meeting these standards.  

            As  monitoring data is collected and analyzed,  the coalition group will need to develop a
    management plan for any standard that is not met.  These plans may include special projects to
    further determine the potential source of a problem, as well as  water quality enhancement
    projects by coalition members. So far E.coli, DO (dissolved oxygen) and pH are the three
    parameters that have shown slight exceedances.   A special DO/pH study project developed by
    Ken Tate and conducted through the 2008 season showed that natural contributors rather than
    agriculture practices are sources of the DO and pH exceedances.   Implementation of  BMP’s
    (best management practices) to reduce E.coli is being encouraged among the UFRWG
    membership to ensure potential grazing contributions are reduced.

            Many good projects have already been put into place by agriculture landowners.    Some
    of these landowners have utilized cost share and funding assistance offered by the NRCS,
    RCD, FRCRM, UCCE Prop 50, Sierra Nevada Conservancy and other funding partners.   
    Members with project ideas are encouraged to contact any of these conservation organizations
    for  technical and  funding assistance opportunities, if needed.
           
             Five years of Irrigated Lands water quality data has characterized impacts of local
    agriculture practices.  Upper watershed permanent pasture and grazing, and haying operations
    have a minimal impact on area creeks and streams, since pesticide and chemical use by
    agriculture in our area is extremely limited.  UFRWGroup is participating in efforts for inclusion
    of a low impact upper watershed option in the Long Term Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program
    to reflect this fact.  The group continues to encourage partnerships among landowners and
    local water conservation and water quality organizations to mitigate isolated water quality
    concerns at the local level.

For more detailed information on UFRW Irrigated Lands monitoring go to
http://groups.ucanr.org/Ag_Water_Quality/Water_Quality_Monitoring

ILRP Watershed Monitoring