Legal Action on the State Water Board Revised Dairy Order
Published Friday, October 16, 2026
On Oct. 16, California Farm Bureau joined Dairy Cares, Milk Producers Council, California Dairy Campaign and Western United Dairies in challenging the California State Water Resources Control Board’s adoption of the revised Central Valley dairy order.
Adopted on Sept. 15, the order establishes stricter requirements for dairy operations and is aimed at reducing nitrate contamination in groundwater. These include additional nitrogen management and monitoring requirements, providing replacement drinking water for nitrate-impacted wells, regulating manure application to cropland and strengthening protections against groundwater contamination from manure retention ponds. The revised order follows more than two decades of regulatory proceedings. While the state water board incorporated several recommendations from Farm Bureau and Dairy Cares, significant concerns remain. Farm Bureau and its industry partners maintain that the final order imposes requirements that are unrealistic and unnecessary for dairy farmers, prompting the legal challenge. The adopted dairy order is available here.
Staff contact: Kari Fisher, kfisher@cfbf.com.
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