San Joaquin River Cleanup May Threaten Farming, Report Says

A new state report on selenium contamination in the San Joaquin River says cleanup efforts could put marginal farms out of business and cut the river basin’s farm-related income by 13%.

Hardest hit communities would be Los Banos and Dos Palos in Merced County and Firebaugh and Mendota in Fresno County, the study released Friday by the State Water Resources Control Board concluded.

The new report on agricultural drainage into the San Joaquin River confirms previous findings that water quality in the river has been greatly degraded over the last four decades.

The report will be sent to the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, which has authority to implement all or part of its recommendations.

The latest study says the principal reasons for the declining purity of the San Joaquin River are decreased river flows and sub-surface agricultural drainage, leading to increased concentrations of harmful substances.

It specifically cites selenium, salts, boron and molybdenum as the four primary concerns, with special attention to selenium because of human consumption of fish and waterfowl from the area.

The report stems from the board’s 1985 selenium contamination report on Kesterson Reservoir, which ordered the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to clean up the reservoir. That report also established a technical committee to investigate water quality concerns in the San Joaquin River Basin.

The new report recommends adoption of a plan of effluent limitations for agricultural drainage from 94,480 acres of farm land, or about 5% of the San Joaquin River Basin.