California Water Board will soon release a new rule to limit water pollution from dairies in the state
… Excess nitrogen from dairies turns into excess nitrate in the soil, spilling into waterways, seeping into groundwater and contributing to widespread contamination of drinking water in the Central Valley. In some counties there, 40 percent of drinking wells are above the safe limit established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, posing health risks like miscarriages and infant mortality. In the next two months, the State Water Board says it will release a long overdue draft order that will chart a course to fix that. A first draft of the board’s thinking came in October 2024, when it proposed a new framework requiring that Central Valley dairies comply with a nitrate drinking water standard of 10 milligrams per liter.
Other water quality news:
- The Daily Journal (San Mateo, Calif.): Clean Water Program nears finish line
- Action News Now (Chico, Calif.): Removing fluoride from the City of Oroville’s water
- Sentient Media: Ten million tons of manure in California are unaccounted for, new report shows
- AP News: Do you really need a water filter? Here’s what experts say
