Kelly Miller, Butte County Resource Conservation District

1. Best Practices in Agricultural Water Use Panel Discussion Kelly Miller, Butte County Resource Conservation District Christina Buck, Butte County Water and Resource Department Joseph Connell, University of California Cooperative Extension Dan Taverner, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Scott Turnquist, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

2. Introductions and Partnerships Kelly Miller District Manager Butte County Resource Conservation District

3. Butte County Water Monitoring Christina Buck Water Resources Scientist Butte County Water and Resource Conservation Department

4. Department of Water & Resource Conservation Monitoring • Groundwater Levels • Water Quality- saline intrusion • pH, temperature, electrical conductivity • Land Subsidence

5. Water Use

6. Groundwater LevelMonitoring Grid Measured 4x per year

7. Multi-completion well Irrigation well Domestic well

8. Water Level Hydrograph 17N03E03D001M

9. http://www.water.ca.gov/groundwater/casgem/

10. Groundwater Quality Trend Monitoring Since 2001 Summer Measurement 13 wells pH, Temperature, Electrical conductivity

11. Subsidence Monitoring 5 Extensometers Since 1999 Continuous data

12. What drives plant water use and how do we match water applications to demand? Joe Connell, UCCE Farm Advisor Butte County University of California Cooperative Extension Agriculture & Natural Resources

13. Photosynthesis – the key driver Carbon dioxide+ Water + Oxygen 6CO2 + 6H2O C6H12O6 + 6O2

14. Photosynthesis

15. Transpiration Loss of water vapor from stomata in leaves Rate depends on environmental factors & available soil moisture Water moves through the plant in the xylem Along a force gradient from high in the soil to low in the atmosphere Microscopic view of stomata on lower leaf surface

17. Evapotranspiration (ET) Evaporation - water evaporation from soil Transpiration - water evaporation from leaves ET increases As day length (solar radiation), temperatures, and wind increase Also, as humidity decreases Total ET is affected by leaf area % cover of ground surface > 50% cover = 100% ET

18. Schedule irrigations based on Reference ET (ETo) Evapotranspiration from a standard grass surface With a constant and complete canopy coverage Calculated from measurements solar radiation air temperature humidity wind speed

19. Average Reference Water Use, ETo, inches

20. Daily Reference ETo (inches/month) Highest in July, followed closely by June and August.

21. ETo data… • Available for locations throughout California • DWR website • www.cimis.water.ca.gov • Station #12 Durham • ETc data… • Published weekly in ER

22. Low volume irrigation scheduling Determine how much water to apply ETc – canopy size (% cover), climate (temp & day length) Days between irrigations Determine how long to irrigate ETc between irrigations Efficiency of irrigation system Application rate of drippers or micro-sprinklers Drip Microsprinklers

23. Low volume irrigation scheduling ETo 7.4 inches in June / 30 days = 0.25 inches/day Irrigated 2 days ago, assume ETc = 0.25 inch/day So, must replace 0.5 inch of water use 1 acre inch = 27,154 gal / 2 = 13,577 gallons/acre ½ inch An almond tree 22’ x 22’ = 484 ft2 484 ft2 / 43,560 ft2/ac = 0.011 of an acre 13,577 gal/half-inch/acre x 0.011 = 149 gallons per tree Determine how long to irrigate Assume double line drip w/ eight, 1 gal/hr emitters/tree 149 gallons use / 8 gal/hr application rate = 18.5 hrs run time every other day

24. Water budget method of irrigation scheduling

25. Monitor soil moisture with tensiometers or resistance blocks, irrigate at allowable depletion Irrigation DAILY EVAPOTRANSPIRATION Onset of Crop Water Stress

26. Midday stem water potential Can measure plant stress directly using a Pressure Bomb

27. Additional information Management strategies http://ucmanagedrought.ucdavis.edu http://cetehama.ucdavis.edu Soil moisture monitoring http://www.irrigate.net/ http://www.irrometer.com/ Pressure chamber http://www.pmsinstrument.com http://www.soilmoisture.com/

28. Natural Resource Conservation Service Program Overview Dan Taverner District Conservationist USDA NRCS

29. NRCSNatural Resource Conservation ServiceButte County Conservation Programs Easement Programs • Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) • Agriculture Water Enhancement Program (AWEP) • Cooperative Conservation Initiative Program (CCPI) • Bay Delta Initiative (BDI) • Wild Life Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) • Conservation Stewardship Program • Conservation Payments for continuing conservation Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) Farm and Ranch Protection Program (FRPP)

30. Easement Programs Wetland Reserve Program Farm and Ranch Protection Program Three levels • Permanent Easement: A conservation easement in perpetuity. USDA pays 100 percent of the easement value and up to 100 percent of the restoration costs. • 30-Year Easement: An easement that expires after 30 years. USDA pays up to 75 percent of the easement value and up to 75 percent of the restoration costs. • Restoration Cost-Share Agreement: An agreement to restore or enhance the wetland functions and values without placing an easement on the enrolled acres. USDA pays up to 75 percent of the restoration costs. Ground remains on tax rolls. • Removes developing rights from high quality agriculture production ground • Privately owned • Meet at least one of the three following eligibility requirements: • Contain at least 50% prime, unique, statewide, or locally important farmland • Contain historical or archaeological resources • Further a State or local policy consistent with the purposes of the program • Be subject of a pending offer from the entity • Contain cropland, grassland, pasture land, or forest land that contributes to the economic viability of an agricultural operation

31. Conservation Programs • Agriculture producers are given a cost share incentive to install conservation measures • Three payment rates 50% typical producer, 75% Beginning farmer and socially disadvantaged, 90% limited resource farmers • Program areas are defined by a geographical area- political, watershed, resource, and land use • EQIP multiple counties (cluster) • AWEP came to Butte County as a partnership, range production, Rangeland Coalition • CCPI was brought to Butte County by a partnership with Yuba/Sutter RCD, Butte RCD and the NRCS offices. Along the Lower Feather and Honcut watersheds • BDI based on a geographical area with resource issues affecting the Bay Delta includes the Central Valley from Redding to Bakersfield

32. Conservation ProgramsPayment Programs • Conservation Stewardship Program (CStP) • Payments based on conservation an agriculture producer is currently doing • Payments increase as the level of conservation increases • Payments are on all types of agriculture enterprises

33. Water Conservation Agricultural BMPs USDA – NRCS Butte County, CA Presented by Scott Turnquist, PE www.nrcs.usda.gov USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

34. NRCS BMPs = Conservation Practices • NRCS has developed a collection of conservation practices to be utilized where specific resource concerns are identified • Resources – Soil, Water, Air, Plants, Animals, Energy and Humans. • Each practice has a standard and specification to be utilized in evaluating the resource concern and designing/implementing the practice. • Electronic field office technical guide (eFOTG) • http://efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov/efotg_locator.aspx. www.nrcs.usda.gov USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

35. Water Conservation Practices • Irrigation systems – Micro, sprinkler & flood • Replace inefficient system with new system • Pipeline • Replace leaky ditch or old concrete pipe with PVC • Lined ditch • Concrete or plastic lined • Particularly effective in coarse soils • Land leveling / land smoothing • Tailwater return system • Reuse irrigation tailwater www.nrcs.usda.gov USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

36. Water Conservation Practices, Cont. • Irrigation water management (IWM) • Required for any new irrigation system contracted w/NRCS • Wetland restoration/enhancement • Water bank, attenuates flows, helps to replenish groundwater • Many other practice that conserve water collaterally but not as a primary resource concern • Ex. Cover crop, conservation tillage… www.nrcs.usda.gov USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

37. Irrigation System • SURFACE IRRIGATION (No change) • SURFACE IRRIGATION (Replace Unlined ditch with Pipeline/lining) • SURFACE IRRIGATION (Replace a leaky pipeline with a pipeline) • SURFACE IRRIGATION (Improve DU (Split runs, higher Q, etc.) • SURFACE IRRIGATION (Install a tailwater recovery system) • SURFACE IRRIGATION (Landleveling (previously leveled) • SURFACE IRRIGATION (Landleveling (previously unleveled) • SPRINKLER IRR. (Hand Move/Side Roll) (No change) • SPRINKLER IRR. (Hand Move/Side Roll) (Replace Surface irrigation) • SPRINKLER IRR. (Solid Set, Undertree) (No change) • SPRINKLER IRR. (Solid Set, Undertree) (Replace surface irrigation) • SPRINKLER IRR. (Solid Set, Undertree)(Replace hand move sprinkler) • TRICKLE IRRIGATION (No change) • TRICKLE IRRIGATION (Replace surface irrigation) • TRICKLE IRRIGATION (Replace under tree, solid set sprinkler or drip) • TRICKLE IRRIGATION (Replace hand move sprinkler) • CENTER PIVOTS (No change) • CENTER PIVOTS (Replace suface irrigation) • CENTER PIVOTS (Replace wheel lines) Irrigation Water Management (IWM) Video Water Savings Estimator www.nrcs.usda.gov USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

38. Success Story – Belden Family Farm • Conservation Practices addressing water conservation: • Land leveling, land smoothing, irrigation pipeline, tailwater recovery and irrigation water management. • Estimated savings: • Land leveling & Smoothing = 145 acre-ft/year • Pipeline and tailwater = 65 acre-ft/year • That’s roughly 160 ft of water covering an area the size of a football field! www.nrcs.usda.gov USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

39. Success Story – One World Ranch 74 acre prune orchard & 100 acre walnut orchard Flood irrigation to Sprinkler & Microsprinkler Estimated water savings = 410 acre-ft/year www.nrcs.usda.gov USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

40. Thank You!Questions? Kelly Miller - District Manager (bc-rcd@carcd.org) Butte County Resource Conservation District Christina Buck - Water Resources Scientist (cbuck@buttecounty.net) Butte County Dept. of Water & Resource Conservation Joseph Connell - Farm Advisor and County Director (jhconnell@ucanr.edu) University of California Cooperative Extension Dan Taverner - District Conservationist (daniel.taverner@ca.usda.gov) United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service Scott Turnquist, PE - Agricultural Engineer (scott.turnquist@ca.usda.gov) United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service