UC Davis Report for the SWRCB SBX2 1 Report to the Legislature

Thomas Harter and Jay R. Lund
(Principal Investigators)

Jeannie Darby, Graham E. Fogg, Richard Howitt, Katrina K. Jessoe, G. Stuart Pettygrove, James F. Quinn, and Joshua H. Viers
(Co-Investigators)

Dylan B. Boyle, Holly E. Canada, Nicole DeLaMora, Kristin N. Dzurella, Anna Fryjoff-Hung, Allan D. Hollander, Kristin L. Honeycutt, Marion W. Jenkins, Vivian B. Jensen, Aaron M. King, George  Kourakos, Daniel Liptzin, Elena M. Lopez, Megan M. Mayzelle, Alison McNally, Josue Medellin-Azuara, and Todd S. Rosenstock

With project management support from
Cathryn Lawrence and Danielle V. Dolan

Center for Watershed Sciences • University of California, Davis
Groundwater Nitrate Project, Implementation of Senate Bill X2 1
Prepared for California State Water Resources Control Board • March 2012

Brief (English / Español) (2 pages)
Executive Summary (8 pages)

Main Report (80 pages)

2017 Update: Nitrogen Loading to Groundwater in the Central Valley (CDFA/FREP, 470 MB)  (click here for a 22 MB version without map appendices).

Technical Report 1 - Project and Technical Report Outline (Version July 2012)
Technical Report 2 - Nitrogen Sources and Loading to Groundwater (Version July 2012)
              Appendix - Appendix Figures to Technical Report 2 (Version July 2012) - 84 MB (large file!)
Technical Report 3 - Nitrogen Source Reduction to Protect Groundwater Quality (Version July 2012)
Technical Report 4 - Groundwater Nitrate Occurrence (Version July 2012)
Technical Report 5 - Groundwater Remediation and Management for Nitrate (Version July 2012)
Technical Report 6 - Drinking Water Treatment for Nitrate (Version July 2012)
Technical Report 7 - Alternative Water Supply Options for Nitrate Contamination (Version July 2012)
Technical Report 8 - Regulatory and Funding Options for Nitrate Groundwater Contamination (Version July 2012)

Version Notes:

The July 2012 versions of Technical Reports 1 - 8 supercede the March 2012 versions. The updated versions feature a cover page on each Technical Report, corrections of typographical and grammatical errors, and minor clarifications in the text of the Technical Reports. A separate Appendix compendium has been added to Technical Report 2. No changes have been made to the factual findings of the Technical Reports originally published in March 2012.

Data:

• Sources of nitrate (Dzurella et al., 2012, Technical Report 2)
• Water quality data (Dylan et al., 2012, Technical Report 4): GeoTracker GA

Related Links and Literature:

• State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) SBX2 1 Nitrate Study Website
• Anton et al., 1988, Nitrate in Drinking Water, Report to the Legislature, SWRCB.
• Staff, January 2013, California Communities That Rely on Contaminated Groundwater, Final Report to the Legislature, SWRCB.
• Tulare County SBX2 1 Implementation Project and Final Report

Key Recent Nitrate Studies:

• Science Advisory Board, 2011, Reactive Nitrogen in the United States: An Analysis of Inputs, Flows, Consequences, and Management Options, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
• United Nations High Commissioner, Drinking Water and Sanitation in the United States, United Nations 2011.
• Sutton et al., 2011, The European Union Nitrogen Assessment.
• Tomich et al., 2012, The California Nitrogen Assessment.
• Dubrovsky et al., 2010, Nutrients in the Nation’s Streams and Groundwater, 1992–2004. US Geological Survey, Circular 1350.
• United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 2012, Report on the Future of Sustainable World Food Production.

Related Links:

• Thomas Harter (Video) - Beneath the Tulare Basin: A Tour of Groundwater and the Many Paths of Water to Wells.
• California Department of Public Health Factsheet on Nitrate
• California Department of Public Health Nitrate Webpage and Links
• California Department of Public Health Information on POU/POE Treatment Systems
• Environmental Protection Agency Information on Domestic Wells
• Multimedia: Coping with Nitrate Contamination (California Watch)
• Healthy Crops, Safe Water Program, University of California