Bill > AB2447

This bill, titled the Water Supply Protection Act, mandates that the State Water Resources Control Board (state board) require regional water quality control boards (regional boards) to update their Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program to significantly reduce nitrogen waste discharges from commercial irrigated agricultural areas, aiming to prevent exceedances of nitrate limits in drinking water and water quality objectives by January 1, 2030. To achieve this, regional boards must adopt revised orders by January 1, 2028, setting quantitative limits on nitrogen fertilizer application and discharge through adaptive management plans, with compliance potentially verified through various methods like certified advisors or monitoring. The bill also encourages participation in programs that reduce nitrogen waste and greenhouse gas emissions, offers credits for sustainable farming practices, and provides streamlined compliance for small farms. The state board is required to publish standardized crop names and a methodology for calculating and reporting nitrogen balances by July 1, 2027, with this field-level data to be publicly accessible. Furthermore, by January 1, 2031, the state board will report to the Legislature on the progress made in reducing nitrogen waste discharges. Additionally, upon legislative appropriation, the state board will convene a Safer Fertilizer Task Force, including diverse stakeholders, to establish best available technology standards for nitrogen-based fertilizers, focusing on reducing nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emissions, and synchronizing nitrogen release with crop needs, while also consulting with existing advisory bodies.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2447