Welcome to the Department of Pesticide Regulation

Surface Water Protection Program

Back to Environmental Monitoring Branch

Surface Waters

The Department of Pesticide Regulation's (DPR) Surface Water Protection Program protects human health and the environment by preventing pesticides from adversely affecting our surface waters, by addressing both agricultural and nonagricultural sources of pesticide residues in surface waters. It has preventive and response components that reduce the presence of pesticides in surface waters.

The preventive component includes local outreach to promote management practices that reduce pesticide runoff.  Prevention also relies on DPR's registration process in which potential adverse effects to surface water quality, particularly those in high risk situations, are evaluated. The response component includes mitigation options to meet water quality goals, recognizing the value of self-regulating efforts to reduce pesticides in surface water as well as regulatory authorities of DPR, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and the Regional Water Quality Control Boards (RWQCB).

  • Overview
    Program goal and description.
  • Contents
    Index of information found on the Surface Water Protection Program pages.
  • Contracts
    Surface water projects funded by contracts with DPR
  • Copper Antifouling Paint Sub-Workgroup
    Documents on assessment of copper pollution caused by copper antifouling paint pesticides.
  • Dormant Spray Water Quality Initiative
    Describes DPR activities and publications on protecting surface water from dormant spray runoff.
  • Policies
    Science and regulatory policies on pesticides in surface water
  • Posters
    Posters on pesticides in surface water
  • Presentations
    These are presentations on surface water pesticide issues.
  • Publications
    Analytical methods,study protocols, monitoring and study reports, standard operating procedures, environmental fate reviews,and hazard assessments to aquatic organisms.
  • Pyrethroid Method Development Project
    Documents on development of analytical methods to detect pyrethroids in water, sediments, and biological organisms.
  • Regulatory Issues
    New regulations and reevaluation notices to registrants to mitigate surface water contamination from pesticide use.
  • Surface Water Database
    Pesticide detections in surface water from environmental monitoring studies of various sources.
  • Links
    Surface water and pesticide related website links

Surface Water Protection Program Electronic Notification List | SUBSCRIBE | UNSUBSCRIBE |
DPR's list server provides automatic e-mail delivery of updates from its Environmental Monitoring Branch. These updates are issue periodically and include announcements of the availability of study or monitoring protocols, study results or reports, DPR policy and regulation changes, database updates, and other activities of the Surface Water Protection Program.



For content questions contact:
Kean S. Goh
1001 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95812
Phone: (916) 324-4072
E-mail: kgoh@cdpr.ca.gov