PROGRAMS :: Colusa Almond Project

Reducing Sediment and Pesticide Runoff from Colusa County Almond Orchards

Simple changes in management can greatly reduce the impacts of farming. This grassed waterway helps filter pesticides and prevents erosion

Runoff from almond orchards along tributaries to the Colusa Basin Drain in Colusa County contains sediment and pesticides. The Colusa Basin Drain flows into the Sacramento River. Best Management Practices (BMP’s) such as cover cropping, insectary hedgerows, grassed swales, and streambank stabilization could significantly reduce contaminated runoff.

CAFF and the Colusa County RCD have found that farmer-to-farmer information exchange is the most effective way of changing agricultural management. In this project, we will work with local almond growers to implement BMP’s and demonstrate their effectiveness to other growers. We will measure sediment and diazinon loads before and after, and up- and downstream of demonstration sites to assess BMP effectiveness.

Goals of the Almond program:

• Assist Colusa County almond growers in implementing biological farming practices that reduce pesticide applications on and erosion from orchards.
• Determine the effects of reduced pesticide use and erosion control practices on runoff from almond orchards.
• Demonstrate and disseminate BMPs and water quality impacts to almond growers and agricultural advisors in Colusa and Glenn counties.
• Build the capacity of local agriculture and environmental organizations to address water quality issues.

Features of the program:

• Work with Colusa County almond growers to implement practices on their farms that demonstrate bio-intensive IPM (Integrated Pest Management) and ecological restoration principles, including cover cropping, grassed swales, filter strips, streambank stabilization, insectary hedgerows and intensive pest monitoring.
• Measure water quality improvements resulting from implemented BMPs.
• Coordinate the efforts of a wide variety of organizations whose expertise will improve local environmental outcomes. Partners in this project include: Colusa County RCD, NRCS, Audubon, UC Davis Agriculture GIS laboratory and Larry Walker Associates.

• Gallery 

This project has received support through a grant from the California State Water Resources Control Board with funding from Proposition 50 called the Water Security, Clean Drinking Water, Coastal and Beach Protection Act of 2002

Communicating with the Colusa Almonds project:
contact: Jamie Scott

jamie@caff.org