State Water Board Releases Revised Dairy Order
Published Friday, August 14, 2026
On June 15, the California State Water Resources Control Board released the revised draft dairy order for the Central Valley designed to protect groundwater from nitrate contamination caused by dairy manure. The order introduces stricter nitrogen limits, requires dairies to provide drinking water for nitrate-affected wells, regulates manure application to cropland, and mandates tighter nitrogen monitoring to ensure dairy manure retention ponds do not leach at rates that impact groundwater.
The state water board held a workshop to discuss the revised draft order on July 8. The California Farm Bureau legal team signed onto the coalition letter from Dairy Cares for the written comments that were due July 30. The state water board will meet on Sept. 15 to consider adopting the order. The draft order is available here.
Staff contact: Kari Fisher, kfisher@cfbf.com.
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