CA Farming Communities Facing Crisis Over Nitrate Pollution

Nitrate contamination in groundwater from fertilizer and animal manure is severe and getting worse for hundreds of thousands of residents in California's farming communities, according to a study released today by researchers at UC Davis, reports Stett Holbrook in "Farming Communities Facing Crisis Over Nitrate Pollution, Study Says," published today on msnbc.com. The story was produced by the Food & Environment Reporting Network in partnership with California Watch, a project of the Center for Investigative Reporting, and can be found online at www.thefern.org and www.californiawatch.org.

"Nearly 10 percent of the 2.6 million people living in the Tulare Lake Basin and Salinas Valley might be drinking nitrate-contaminated water, researchers found. If nothing is done to stem the problem, the report warns, those at risk for health and financial problems may number nearly 80 percent by 2050," writes Holbrook.

The report is the most comprehensive assessment so far of nitrate contamination in California's agricultural areas. The five counties in the study area - among the top 10 agricultural producing counties in the United States - include about 40 percent of California's irrigated cropland and more than half of its dairy herds, representing a $13.7 billion slice of the state's economy, Holbrook reports.

High nitrate levels in drinking water are known to cause skin rashes, hair loss, birth defects, and "blue baby syndrome," a potentially fatal blood disorder in infants. A recent National Institutes of Health study linked increased risk of thyroid cancer with high nitrate levels in public water supplies, he explains, writing: "Nitrate-contaminated water is a well-documented fact in many of California's farming communities. The agricultural industry, however, has maintained that it is not solely responsible because nitrates come from many sources. But according to the UC Davis report, 96 percent of nitrate contamination comes from agriculture, while only 4 percent can be traced to water treatment plants, septic systems, food processing, landscaping and other sources."

Holbrook explains that nitrates are odorless, tasteless compounds that form when nitrogen from ammonia and other sources mix with water. While nitrogen and nitrates occur naturally, the advent of synthetic fertilizer has coincided with a dramatic increase in nitrates in drinking water. He notes that rural residents are at greater risk because they depend on private wells, which are often shallower and not monitored to the same degree as public water sources, writing, "Current contamination likely came from nitrates introduced into the soil decades ago. That means even if nitrates were dramatically reduced today, groundwater would still suffer for decades to come."

According to the report, removing nitrates from large groundwater basins is extremely costly and not technically feasible. One relatively low-cost alternative is called "pump and fertilize:" pulling nitrate-saturated water out of the ground and applying it to crops at the right time to ensure more complete nitrate uptake.

The report lists a few solutions to help pay for the cleanup of contaminated water, including a fee on fertilizer sales and greater "mill fees" on the production of fertilizer, Holbrook notes, explaining that in California, farmers do not pay sales tax on fertilizer, while water districts and communities bear the cost of cleaning up tainted wells.

The timing of the report is important, notes Holbrook, because the Central Coast water board, one of several regional water agencies that enforce the state's Clean Water Act, will hold a highly anticipated meeting tomorrow, March 14, to decide on new agricultural regulations aimed at reducing the release of nitrates, pesticides and other chemicals into aquifers, as well as creeks, rivers, lakes and the