A proposal to change the way California farmers manage runoff from their farms has been put on hold. Members of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board did not vote on the proposal at their meeting last week, instead delaying the vote until June 8th. Board members did, however, approve the environmental impact report for the plan, which calls for more action by farmers in controlling agricultural runoff. If adopted, the proposal would categorize farmland based on its likelihood to produce dangerous runoff. Certain farmers would have to take additional steps to monitor and prevent runoff. The new regulations would cover about 7-million acres, affecting roughly 35-thousand California farmers. Many of those farmers are calling the plan unnecessary and costly, while some environmental groups want the restrictions to be tougher.
