General Waste Discharge Requirements for Commercial Lily Bulb Operations in the Smith River Plain

General Waste Discharge Requirements for Commercial Lily Bulb Operations in the Smith River Plain

NOTICE OF PREPARATION OF A DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT AND CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT SCOPING MEETING The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, as the Lead Agency, is planning to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act for the following project: General Waste Discharge Requirements for Commercial Lily Bulb Operations located in the Smith River Plain (Lily Bulb Order). This Notice of Preparation (NOP) serves to 1) solicit information on the scope of the environmental analysis for the Lily Bulb Order; and 2) notify the public and regulatory agencies that the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board will prepare a draft EIR to assess potential adverse environmental impacts that may result from implementing the Lily Bulb Order. The proposed Project is the establishment of General Waste Discharge Requirements (GWDRs) for Commercial Lily Bulb Operations to control discharges of agricultural pollutants to surface water and groundwater originating from lily bulb farming activities in the Smith River Plain. Lily bulb operations have the potential to discharge pollutants to surface water and groundwater from stormwater and irrigation runoff, the application of pesticides and fertilizer, erosion of sediment, and removal and suppression of riparian vegetation. The proposed WDRs will require Enrollees to assess, plan, and implement a suite of site-specific actions and management practices to control discharges from lily bulb operations. The Lily Bulb Order would include for regulatory coverage all fields cultivated for lily bulbs or similar bulb crops anytime within a sequential five-year period, field roads, greenhouses, and pesticide mixing areas in the Smith River Plain Hydrologic Subarea and coastal terraces between Pyramid Point and the Oregon border. The proposed Lily Bulb Order would establish a regulatory mechanism, in the form of General Waste Discharge Requirements with requirements, prohibitions, and provisions that would require: (1) enrollment and payment of fees; (2) implementation and adaption of Management Practices; and (3) monitoring and reporting. As of the 2023-2024 growing season, approximately 1,000 acres of agricultural land is commercially farmed for easter lily bulbs in the Project Area. The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Water Board) is hosting a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) scoping meeting on October 22, 2024. The Regional Water Board has conducted an Initial Study for the Project, identifying potential environmental impacts of the proposed Project, and has determined that an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is necessary. The CEQA scoping meeting will include a presentation on the development of the Project and the opportunity for the public to provide oral comments on the scope of environmental analysis that should be conducted. See NOP for more details on the proposed Lily Bulb Order and CEQA Scoping Meeting details.

Smith River

Del Norte

Unincorporated

California Coastal Commission (CCC), California Department of Conservation (DOC), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Marin Region 7 (CDFW), California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), California Department of Transportation, District 1 (DOT), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), California Fish and Game Commission (CDFGC), California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES), California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Natural Resources Agency, California Regional Water Quality Control Board, North Coast Region 1 (RWQCB), California State Lands Commission (SLC), Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), Office of Historic Preservation, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, District 1, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Quality, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Rights, State Water Resources Control Board, Divison of Financial Assistance, California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Northern and Eureka Region 1 (CDFW)

California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Northern and Eureka Region 1 (CDFW)

Other (General Waste Discharge Requirements )

Water Quality Control Board General Waste Discharge Requirements, Regional GWDRs

Aesthetics, Agriculture and Forestry Resources, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Geology/Soils, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Hazards & Hazardous Materials, Hydrology/Water Quality, Land Use/Planning, Mandatory Findings of Significance, Mineral Resources, Noise, Population/Housing, Public Services, Recreation, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources, Utilities/Service Systems, Wetland/Riparian, Wildfire