North Coast Regional Water Board Program for Discharges of Waste Associated with the Production of Lily Bulbs

 

Final Smith River Plain Water Quality Management Plan (SRPWQMP)

The Executive Officer approved the Smith River Plain Water Quality Management Plan (SRPWQMP or Plan) in November 2021 following revisions made in response to public comments received in March 2021. The Plan addresses the water quality impacts of lily bulb operations in the Smith River Plain documented through ongoing surface water sampling by the Regional Water Board. The Plan was written by Regional Water Board staff and developed collaboratively with a group of stakeholders called the Smith River Plain Watershed Stewardship Team. This team includes the lily bulb growers, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, the Del Norte Resource Conservation District, the Del Norte County Agricultural Commissioner, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, and the Smith River Alliance (a local non-profit involved in fisheries restoration projects and planning). All partners made important contributions to the draft document.

The purpose of the SRPWQMP is to undertake an adaptive management project to evaluate the effectiveness of a wide range of best management practices adapted for use in the special environmental setting of the Smith River Plain and unique agricultural practices associated with the lily bulb operations.

The Smith River Plain Water Quality Management Plan accomplishes the following objectives:

  • Describes lily bulb operations including current and planned water quality management practices to control potential discharges of waste to waters of the State.
  • Documents and communicates the results of the adaptive management process used to develop water quality protection measures to address the effects and risks from potential discharges associated with lily bulb cultivation.
  • Includes actions to address water quality problems identified through monitoring designed to lead to attainment of water quality standards in the Smith River Plain.
  • Coordinates the Regional Water Board’s programs and regulations with other water quality programs and restoration initiatives in the Smith River Plain.
  • Establishes and implements an adaptive management water quality monitoring plan that supports the following objectives: 1) evaluate potential discharges from lily bulb operations by comparison of downstream station results with upstream “background” stations; 2) evaluate the effectiveness of water quality management practices implemented by lily bulb growers; and 3) provide the data necessary to run the Biotic Ligand Model, which is being used to inform the site-specific adaptive management threshold concentrations for copper in the Smith River Plain.
  • Establishes a system of public reporting for lily bulb growers to document the implementation of water quality practices on an annual basis.
  • Provides a foundation for the development of a permit to regulate discharges associated with lily bulb operation in the Smith River Plain.

The Regional Water Board will use results from the implementation of the SRPWQMP to guide development over the next couple of years of general waste discharge requirements (WDRs) or a waiver of WDRs (permit) consistent with Water Code requirements, the requirements of the Policy for Implementation and Enforcement of the Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program (State Nonpoint Source Policy), the Statement of Policy with Respect to Maintaining High Quality of Waters in California (State Anti-degradation Policy), and requirements the State Water Board has established for irrigated lands regulatory programs.

The development of the permit will include a separate stakeholder engagement process and public comment period. Permit development will also require an evaluation and preparation of the appropriate documentation necessary to ensure compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). To ensure the protection of water quality from discharges of waste associated with lily bulb operations while the permit is being developed, Regional Water Board staff will continue to conduct field inspections, implement the adaptive management monitoring plan, evaluate management practices designed to address water quality impacts, document practices with photographs, and will periodically report to the Regional Water Board.   

2021-2022 Growing Season Field Map and Annual Management Practices Reporting

Field Map
A map of the Smith River Plain showing about 30 agricultural fields that grew lily bulbs in 2021 through 2022. About 100 other fields that have previously grown lily bulbs are also shown. The map shows the Smith River through the middle, with the lily bulb fields to the north, above the river. Several creeks run through the lily bulb fields and meet the Smith River.

Management Practices Table

The table below presents the tracking data for management practice implementation for fields used to grow lilies during the 2021-2022 growing season in the Smith River Plain. The data is presented by total acreage of fields, total number of fields, and corresponding percentages compared to the total. Note that the reason any given practice may not be implemented on 100% of fields is because practices are site-specific and not necessarily appropriate for every field. The grower selects the suite of Management Practices that work for each field from the checklist.

Water Quality Management Practice

Total Field Acreage

Percent of Total Acreage

Total Fields

Percent of Total Fields

Total Fields and Acreage

313

29

Filter Strip

229

73%

19

66%

Field Size Reduction

141

45%

15

52%

Contour Farming

58

19%

3

10%

Precision Land Forming

208

66%

17

59%

Row Arrangement

235

75%

22

76%

Cover Crop

0

0%

0

0%

Enhance Soil Infiltration

273

87%

23

79%

Critical Area Planting

116

37%

10

34%

Soil Amendments

248

79%

23

79%

In Furrow Dams

0

0%

0

0%

Field Border

28

9%

2

7%

Plant Residue Tillage Management

79

25%

7

24%

Vegetative Barrier

152

49%

13

45%

Grassed Waterway

220

70%

18

62%

Stormwater Diversion

69

22%

8

28%

Field Isolation

155

49%

13

45%

Grade Stabilization Structure

0

0%

0

0%

Maintain Stream Setbacks

152

48%

15

52%

Riparian Area Support

112

36%

10

34%

Livestock Barriers

129

41%

10

34%

Follow Dairy Nutrient Guidelines

129

41%

10

34%

Nutrient Budget

0

0%

0

0%

Soil Testing

122

39%

9

31%

Irrigation Water Testing

0

0%

0

0%

Use of Beneficial Cover Crops

129

41%

10

34%

 

Pictures of Example Management Practices

A creek running through blackberries on one side with a grass filter strip running between the creek and the edge of a lily field.
Filter strip and riparian buffer.

 

A ditch running on one side with a grass filter strip running between the ditch and the edge of a lily field.
Filter strip upgradient of drainage ditch

 

A lily field with sediment collected at the end of the rows and at the start of the filter strip.
Sediment capture at edge of field.

 

A creek running through blackberries on one side with an additional vegetated setback along the edge of a lily field.
Creek setback with riparian buffer.

 

A small basin surrounded by grass with dried cracked sediment at the bottom. A culvert is in the foreground to drain water out of the basin and leave the sediment behind.
Sediment is trapped before entering a raised culvert.

 

A lily bulb field with active sprinklers down one row. Water is collecting in the furrows, but not draining off the field. There is a grass filter strip in the foreground along the edge of the field.
Active sprinkler irrigation and filter strip. Irrigation runoff is usually minimal.

 

A creek running through riparian trees on one side with a grass filter strip running between the creek and the edge of a lily field. There is sediment built up along the field side of the filter strip.
Filter strip with collected sediment.

 

Two lily fields with a grass filter strip between them. The field on the right has full grown lilies and the field on the left is bare dirt being prepped for next years' crop.
Filter strip and field size reduction BMP; a formerly larger field spilt into two smaller fields.

 

A lily field with furrows directed to a pasture in the foreground separated by a fence.
Water runs off lily field into pasture.

 

A ditch running on one side with a grass filter strip running between the ditch and the edge of a lily field.
Filter strip at edge of field before drainage ditch.

 

A creek running through trees on one side with a wide grass setback from the creek to the edge of a lily field on the other side.
Large field setback from creek flowing at right in the trees.

 

A creek running through trees on one side with a wide grass filter strip running between the creek and the edge of a lily field.
Filter strip upgradient of the riparian area to the left.

 

Public Review of the Draft Smith River Plain Water Quality Management Plan (SRPWQMP)

The comment period for the public review draft has ended, please see the final version of the SRPWQMP above.  The public draft version below is provided for reference. 

Monitoring Program Reports for the Smith River Plain 

From 2013-2017, the Regional Water Board staff collected surface water, streambed sediment, and groundwater samples in the Smith River Plain in order to better understand water quality conditions related to Easter lily bulb production.  Two interim reports were released in November 2015; one documenting the surface water sampling and the other documenting the groundwater sampling.  In 2018, Regional Water Board staff updated the November 2015 Surface Water and Sediment Interim Monitoring Report to include additional information and data collected in 2015.  The January 2018 final report and the interim reports are available at the links below.

Surface Water Reports

Groundwater Reports

May 26, 2015 Del Norte County Board of Supervisors Meeting

January 29, 2015 Regional Water Board Meeting, Santa Rosa

April 19, 2018 Regional Water Board Meeting, Weed

December 19, 2019 Regional Water Board Meeting, Santa Rosa

Contact Information

Interested parties are encouraged to sign up on the email list below to receive information about stakeholder involvement opportunities and updates on the progress of develop the various programs and permits:

Email List:

Lily Bulb Cultivation Advisory Group:
A list of members of the Lily Bulb Cultivation Advisory Group is provided in the link below.  Members of the public may contact Advisory Group members that represent their interests to provide input into the permit development process.  Please contact Regional Water Board staff to obtain contact information for Advisory Group members. 

Water Board Contacts: If you have questions about the Agriculture Program, please contact:

Ben Zabinsky, Regional Water Board staff
(707) 576-6750
ben.zabinsky@waterboards.ca.gov