State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (CVRWQCB), and the Central Valley Salinity Coalition (CVSC) Board of Directors Approved a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for cooperative advancement of the CV-SALTS Initiative in December.

While the three entities have been cooperating for over two years, the MOA documents the working relationships among the agencies and their commitments to cooperatively work together to improve the Management of Salinity in Central Valley Waters.  The MOA also documents the unique cooperation that has been built in the Agency and Stakeholder community to support these efforts.

The SWRCB has provided funding from the Cleanup and Abatement Account for CV-SALTS studies.   The CVRWQCB has funded prior efforts and along with others provides in-kind assistance and technical expertise for the effort.  The Central Valley Salinity Coalition members have provided funding to organize and manage the effort as well as fund the Salt and Nitrate Source Pilot Implementation Study which will be completed in February.

The Coalition is proud of the working relationships that have been developed and the progress that has been made in the 18 months since it's formation.  With the completion of out first major work product and a growing and diverse Coalition membership, we are looking forward to the accomplishments of 2010.

Reduce Salinity in Ground and Surface Water

The Almond Board of California provided information to its members in its recent blog.  We applaud their efforts to raise awareness of this critical issue.

"Elevated salinity and nitrates in surface and ground water in California’s Central Valley is an increasing problem. Higher levels of total salinity and its constituents of sodium, chloride, and boron are detrimental to almond production. In addition, water infiltration can be impaired under certain total salinity and specific ion scenarios.

These problems are being addressed by the Central Valley Salinity Coalition, and the Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long-Term Sustainability. Both work in conjunction with the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board.

The Central Valley Salinity Coalition is a non-profit formed in July 2008 to organize, facilitate and fund efforts needed for the efficient management of salinity in the Central Valley.

Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long-Term Sustainability  (CV-SALTS) is a collaborative basin planning effort aimed at developing and implementing a comprehensive salinity and nitrate management program.

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board is in the process of adding ground water management to the Irrigated Lands program. A major focus of the program will be on salinity and nitrate reductions in ground water."

Links to Excellent are in the article Here