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Contact: Rob Roy Rex Laird
805 388 2727 805 289 0155
For Immediate Release
March 1, 2005
Ventura County Agricultural Water Quality Coalition Announces Formation
Responding to a growing threat to the quality of water used for irrigation from the Santa Clara River, a group of Ventura-based
organizations have joined together to form the Ventura County Agricultural Water Quality Coalition to engage in a coordinated
effort to ensure that water provided to the Ventura County agricultural community is of high quality and is protected from
degradation by upstream sources of pollution.
Rex Laird, Chief Executive Officer of the Ventura County Farm Bureau, stated, “Crops harvested in 2003 generated over $1.11
billion to Ventura County’s economy. While all crops are sensitive to salt in water supplies, crops in Ventura County are especially
threatened when salt levels increase. Strawberries are a $300 million dollar industry in Ventura County, lemons represent $148
million, and avocados, which add another $100 million in crop value, are all highly sensitive to salts.”
“The single greatest threat to our agricultural water supply is the discharge of highly polluted water from two treatment plants
operated by the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts which discharge nearly 20 million gallons each day of effluent containing
very high levels of salts. Day in and day out, these treatment plants are adding staggering levels of salt to the watershed –
totaling over 4 million pounds each year. Some of this salt finds its way to groundwater used by agriculture for irrigation and
degrades water quality.” Laird added.
Rob Roy, President and General Counsel of the Ventura County Agricultural Association, expressed concerns about the lack of
regulatory attention to this threat, “There are standards for water quality that must be achieved but these standards are not
being adequately enforced.” While the Los Angeles Regional Water Board tried to adopt stringent requirements to control
increasing salt levels, the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts challenged those requirements and won a settlement with the
Regional Board effectively delaying any major steps they would have had to take to control salt in their discharges. Mr. Roy
added, “We need our State regulators to do their job and protect water quality now, not after the resource is permanently
damaged.”
The Ventura Agricultural Water Quality Coalition is an informal affiliation of several organizations and individual growers who have
pledged to engage in a coordinated effort to achieve the goals of the Coalition. Supporting organizations include: The Ventura
County Farm Bureau, the Ventura County Agricultural Association, Western Growers, the California Avocado Commission, Somis
Pacific Agricultural Management, the Saticoy Lemon Association, the Ventura County Economic Development Association, Calavo
Growers, Limoneira Company, Oxnard Lemon Company, Ventura Pacific Packing House, individual growers and other local
agricultural businesses. The Coalition is seeking the support of other agricultural and environmental interests to join the
Coalition and protect major segments of the County’s agricultural industry threatened by degraded water quality.
Ventura County Agricultural Water Quality Coalition
P.O. Box 3117
Camarillo, CA 93011
www.vcawqc.org
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Contact: Rob Roy Rex Laird
805 388 2727 805 289 0155
For Immediate Release
March 30, 2005
California Strawberry Commission, United Water Conservation District, and Camulos Ranch Company Join the Ventura County
Agricultural Water Quality Coalition
Recognizing the critical importance of working together to preserve clean water for Ventura County agriculture, several
organizations, the California Strawberry Commission, United Water Conservation District, and Camulos Ranch Company have
recently joined the Ventura County Agricultural Water Quality Coalition. The Coalition was established to respond to a growing
threat to the quality of water from the Santa Clara River used for irrigation.
The threat comes from upstream sewage treatment plants that annually discharge millions of pounds of chloride to the upper
Santa Clara River. Flow from the river recharges groundwater that is used by Ventura agriculture and the chloride content in
groundwater is rising. Strawberry, avocado and citrus crops in Ventura County are especially threatened when salt levels
increase. Strawberries are a $300 million dollar industry in Ventura County, lemons represent $148 million, and avocados add
another $100 million in crop value. Water with higher salt (chloride) levels threaten to reduce crop productivity.
Tom Krugman, the California Strawberry Commission’s Senior Director of Operations offered this regarding why the Commission
felt it important to join the Coalition, “Chlorides have a significant detrimental affect on strawberry plants, decreasing yield and
quality of the fruit. Our growers have enough challenges in meeting consumer demand for berries without losing production due
to contaminated water.”
Dr. Steve Bachman the Groundwater Resources Manager for the United Water Conservation District stated his concern and the
need for a unified response to the water pollution threat, “United Water Conservation District fully supports the goals of the
Coalition in preserving the quality of surface water and groundwater along the Santa Clara River. United Water’s surface water
and groundwater monitoring has shown significant changes in chloride salt levels over the last decade in Santa Clara River waters
that flow across the Ventura County line and recharge the Piru groundwater basin. As a result, the groundwater is now increasing
in chloride concentrations. Our hope is that organizations on both sides of the county line can find solutions to this degradation
of water quality.”
Camulos Ranch Company uses water from the Santa Clara River for irrigation of strawberries, avocados and other crops.
Matthew Freeman, General Manager of Camulos Ranch Company observed, “The current chloride interim waste load allocation for
upstream sewage treatment plants is negatively impacting our agricultural production and degrading our groundwater quality.
Recent water analysis determined moderate to severe problems for our various crops.”
Rob Roy, President and General Counsel of the Ventura County Agricultural Association and Co-Chair of the Coalition, observed
that, “These added voices to the Coalition send a clear signal that the threat of degraded water quality is a critically important
issue to Ventura’s agricultural community. Every person in Ventura County has a stake in the outcome of this fight because
water quality affects everyone. Not only is irrigation water being affected but so is drinking water.”
The Ventura Agricultural Water Quality Coalition is an informal affiliation of several organizations and individual growers who
have pledged to engage in a coordinated effort to achieve the goals of the Coalition. Supporting organizations include: The
Ventura County Farm Bureau, the Ventura County Agricultural Association, Western Growers, the California Avocado Commission,
Somis Pacific Agricultural Management, the Saticoy Lemon Association, the Ventura County Economic Development Association,
Calavo Growers, Limoneira Company, Oxnard Lemon Company, Ventura Pacific Packing House, individual growers and other local
agricultural businesses. The Coalition is seeking the support of other business, agricultural and environmental interests to join
the Coalition to protect against the threat posed by degraded water quality.
Ventura County Agricultural Water Quality Coalition
P.O. Box 3117
Camarillo, CA 93011
www.vcawqc.org
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