Green Evolution

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Green Evolution

• From Regulatory Stalemate
• To Successful Pollution Control
• In Californias San Joaquin Valley

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Green Evolution

• The Pollution Control Stalemate
• The Grasslands Program in Theory
• The Grasslands Program in Practice
• Cloning the System

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The Pollution Control Stalemate
Photo courtesy of the Joseph
Skorupa, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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The Kesterson Disaster
The Pollution Control Stalemate
Photos courtesy of the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service
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Nearby Wetlands Also Damaged
The Pollution Control Stalemate
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The Kesterson Solution
The Pollution Control Stalemate

• 1990. A federal-state interagency committee
  completes its 50million study and concludes
• using less water creates less pollution

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The Pollution Control Stalemate

• Increase irrigation efficiency
• Re-Use drainwater
• To blend with good irrigation water
• To grow salt-tolerant crops
• Fallow the land and sell the water
• Retire the land and sell the water
• Discharge limited amounts to the San Joaquin River

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Post-Kesterson Voluntary BMPs
The Pollution Control Stalemate

• Selenium Loads Discharged 1986 - 1994

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The Pollution Control Stalemate

• Drainage was still threatening ecosystems and
  violating water quality standards

Great egrets and great blue herons, San Luis
Wildlife Refuge, Gary Zahm, FWS 9/99
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The Grasslands Program -- In Theory
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Regulatory Options
The Grasslands Program in Theory

• The Good --- Economic Incentives
• Tradable Discharge Permits
• Effluent Fees
• Input Fees
• The Bad --- Mandatory BMPs
• The Ugly --- Traditional Permits

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The Grasslands Program in Theory

• Many small, independent, controllable sources
• Farmers are organized into irrigation districts
• Districts have authority to use input fees
• District discharges can be monitored
• A TMDL can define acceptable regional discharge
• California law allows permits for districts and
  farmers

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Proposed Regulatory System
The Grasslands Program in Theory
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Regulatory Agency
The Grasslands Program in Theory

• Gives discharge permit to regional district
• Discharge target TMDL
• Monitors discharge from regional drain
• Imposes sanctions for non-compliance (fines,
  drainage cut-off)

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Regional District
The Grasslands Program in Theory

• Operates tradable discharge permit program among
  districts
• Determines initial allocations
• Monitors district discharges
• Imposes sanctions for noncompliance (fines,
  drainage cut-off)

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Districts
The Grasslands Program in Theory

• Use input pricing to limit farm discharges
• Monitor water inputs
• Impose sanctions for non-compliance (fines, water
  cut-off)

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Advantages of the Proposed Regulatory System
The Grasslands Program in Theory

• Ease of administration
• The regulatory agency issues one permit.
• Ability to meet the discharge limit
• The regional cap assures that selenium discharges
  decrease to safe levels.

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The Grasslands Program in Theory

• Cost-effectiveness
• Tradable discharge permits among districts
  promote regional cost-effectiveness.
• Tiered water pricing means that decreasing
  drainage saves money for farmers.
• Local control
• Farmers and districts can tailor inputs and
  discharges to their own needs.

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But will it work?
The Grasslands Program in Theory
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The Grasslands Program--In Practice
The Grasslands Program in Practice
Photo credit Panoche Drainage District

• In 1996, the program was implemented.

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Current Regulatory System
The Grasslands Program in Practice

• Contracts between Bureau of Reclamation and
  regional district

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Bureau of Reclamation
The Grasslands Program in Practice

• Sets discharge limits
• monthly limits for selenium discharges
• gradual decrease to TMDL limits
• Monitors discharge from drain
• Imposes sanctions for non-compliance
• Fines for small exceedances
• Automatic termination for discharges greater than
  120 of limits

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Regional District
The Grasslands Program in Practice

• Developed internal regulatory system
• Chose tradable discharge allocation system
• Allocated discharges to districts
• Monitors district discharges
• Imposes sanctions for noncompliance (fines,
  drainage cut-off)

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Districts
The Grasslands Program in Practice

• Developed internal regulatory systems
• Tiered water pricing
• Prohibition on surface discharges
• Recycling
• Individual sump discharge limits
• Land retirement
• Monitors water inputs
• Imposes sanctions for non-compliance (fines,
  water cut-off)

Photo credit Panoche Drainage District
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Farmers
The Grasslands Program in Practice

• React to price signals on water
• Recycle surface runoff

Photo credit Panoche Drainage District
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Results
The Grasslands Program in Practice
Grasslands Area Monthly Selenium Discharges
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Why it works
The Grasslands Program in Practice

• Quantitative limits on selenium discharges are
  set in advance and strictly enforced.
• Districts and farmers are accountable for meeting
  the limits.
• Districts and farmers can design their own mixes
  of drainage control actions.

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Cloning the System
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Prerequisites
Cloning the System

• Motivation
• Legal and institutional mechanisms to regulate
  districts or farmers
• Enforcement capability
• Discharge targets
• Monitoring feasibility

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Motivation to meet standards
Cloning the System

• Precondition for receiving federal subsidies
• Farm Bill payments
• Subsidized irrigation water
• Subsidized drainage discharge
• Enforcement of TMDL limits

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Legal and Institutional Mechanisms
Cloning the System

• Federal contracts for irrigation water
• Federal and State authority to regulate pollution
  discharges
• Existing water districts
• Tradable discharge permit systems

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Enforcement Capability
Cloning the System

• Automatic termination of benefits
• Fines

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Discharge Targets
Cloning the System

• TMDLs
• TDP allocations

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Monitoring Feasibility
Cloning the System

• Drainage networks sumps and canals
• Input surrogates
• Irrigation water applied
• Fertilizer and pesticide application rates

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Sites for New Trading ProgramsAmong Farmers
Cloning the System
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Sites for New Trading ProgramsAmong Farmers
Cloning the System
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Cloning the System
Photo credit Panoche Drainage District
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Regionwide Pollution-Control Costs
Appendices
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Comparison of Regulatory Options
Appendices
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Performance of Potential BMPs for Cotton
Appendices