California agriculture is very diverse and spans many growing conditions. It produces hundreds of consumables for people in the U.S. and abroad. Unfortunately, water discharge from plants and animals can pollute surface and ground water with pesticides, sediments, nutrients, salts, pathogens, and heavy metals. State and regional water board compliance prevents these runoffs.
Farmers and ranchers must comply with the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program. Cannabis growing has additional regulatory framework. This includes Water Code section13149 that protects springs, wetlands, and aquatic habitats and section 26060 ensures water diversion and discharge do not affect flows needed for fish spawning, migration, and rearing. This is further complicated by regional boundaries— there are nine regional water boards and 12 cannabis water boards. We have worked closely with the growers and ranchers along the north coast, the greater Bay Area, the Sacramento Valley, and the Sierras.
Even a glance at the Water Boards Cannabis Cultivation page displays how complex the process can get. Water Quality regulations include management of runoff, over-fertilization, pond failure, grading, and road construction, among others. Different agencies call this General Order a Water Quality Permit or Water Quality enrollment. Water rights regulations mandates that growers stop diverting surface water during the dry season. The Cannabis Enforcement Unit inspects and enforces water quality regulations for permitted and unpermitted sites.
We are uniquely qualified to help in this area with our ability to both work with SRWB and find groundwater. The electro-seismic method allows us to see what is below the surface of your site. We place electrodes in shallow holes, send a sound wave through the subsurface and get a detailed “picture” of water that is below the surface. For the cost of one dry hole, we can survey up to eight locations to maximize your chances of finding water.
Our team will give focused attention to your project and its many details. We will listen and build solutions that work for your specific set of circumstances. Email us at info@gwsurveyors.com or call 707-837-6247 if you are looking for answers to a challenging water issue. If you have water on your site, we will help you find and manage it!