North Coast Regional Water Board Releases Draft Irrigated Land Permit for Scott And Shasta River Watersheds
Published Friday, October 2, 2026
On Sept. 17, the North Coast Regional Water Board released the draft general waste discharge requirements for irrigated lands in the Scott River and Shasta River watersheds. The North Coast Regional Board also held a workshop on the draft waste discharge requirement, or WDR, on Oct. 1. The draft WDR would impose mandatory, enforceable waste discharge requirements on irrigated farming and associated grazing across the Scott River and Shasta River watersheds covering any operation of 25 acres or more.
The WDR proposes to prohibit tailwater discharge or treat and control tailwater discharge through an alternative compliance pathway, prohibit tillage in riparian vegetation areas, reach-specific temperature benchmarks on the Shasta mainstem, ranging about 52 degrees Fahrenheit to 70 degrees by reach and season and watershed-wide seasonal benchmarks for tributaries and the Scott River, nitrogen benchmarks in the Shasta River watershed, phosphorous benchmarks in the Scott River watershed, compliance with streamside and riparian management requirements with vegetated buffers or a restoration alternative, sediment control practices on agricultural roads, representative groundwater monitoring and drinking water supply well monitoring, nutrient management and reporting. Operations already assessed by board staff that document sustained environmental performance (tailwater eliminated, riparian restored, sediment reduced) may qualify for the stewardship category—the lowest permitting rigor, with abbreviated reporting and periodic reassessment. The draft WDR and environmental impact report can be found here under Item 6.
Staff contact: Kari Fisher, kfisher@cfbf.com.
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