New Dairy Order: What Central Valley Dairy Producers Should Know
Published Friday, June 26, 2026
On June 15, the California State Water Resources Control Board released a revised draft order that would significantly change how Central Valley dairies are regulated for groundwater impacts in California. Read full draft proposal here: R5-2013-0122 | California State Water Resources Control Board.
After a review of the 2013 dairy general waste discharge requirements, state regulators concluded that most groundwater nitrogen impacts come from manure applied to cropland rather than lagoons. Estimates show about 94% of nitrogen loading is from land application of manure compared to roughly 4% from lagoons and 2% from production areas. As a result, a revised dairy order has been drafted to update management practices, manure application rates and whole-farm nitrogen balance.
To support this shift, dairies would be required to submit additional operational data, including herd size, feed and milk production, fertilizer use, crop yields, manure applications and irrigation water. Regulators would use this information to calculate a whole-farm nitrogen balance to track nitrogen flow through each operation and potential groundwater impacts. One of the most significant concerns in the proposal involves the attempt to categorize existing dairies and new dairies. Farmers who consolidate dairies could be treated as a “new dairy,” potentially triggering stricter requirements and shorter compliance timelines.
The proposal also introduces new lagoon-related data requirements. Dairies would be required to estimate the depth of the lowest point of each existing manure retention pond and explain how that estimate was determined. This information would need to be submitted to the Central Valley Water Board within six months of notice. In addition, many dairies would be required to conduct seepage testing of lagoons every three years, with results certified by a licensed engineer or geologist. No dedicated funding is currently included to help offset compliance costs.
The new draft order shifts toward more intensive monitoring, reporting and groundwater risk evaluation across dairy operations. The state water board will hold a public workshop on July 8 to receive oral comments. Written comments are due by noon on July 30. The state water board will meet on Sept. 15 to consider adopting the order. Producers who wish to participate or submit comments should contact Daniella Legostaev for additional information.
Staff contacts: Daniella Legostaev, dlegostaev@cfbf.com; Kari Fisher; kfisher@cfbf.com.
.svg.png?cacheid=0.9616018850896426)
