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Reportedly, Executive Officer, Pamela Creedon of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Valley has approved a Draft Revised Monitoring and Reporting Program (Draft) for dairies under the current General Order (PDF).  The Draft requirement includes changes that clarify when certain activities take place, including inspections of the production area, visual inspections of stormwater contaminant systems, and photographic records. 

Additionally, physical inspections of waste application areas are now required prior to filing each waste water application, although after comments were submitted, the recordkeeping requirements were reduced.  The Nutrient Monitoring Plan has also been revised to include a schedule for when samples are to be taken and the times for monitoring the discharges have also been clarified to include additional requirements for suspended solids and total fecal coli form. 

Another major change was to require that ammonium be sampled from domestic and agriculture supply wells in addition to a surface (tile) drainage systems.  The revised monthly plan allows the ammonium testing to be done on site.  If ammonium is detected onsite, then it would need to be retested in the laboratory.  Currently, there is no indication on the Board’s site that the revised MRP has been approved.