California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) adopted a new general order last week detailing how wastewater is processed and discharged at wineries in California.
According to a release by the SWRCB, the order will protect groundwater and surface water quality while also giving wineries flexibility in selection of compliance methods.
Specifically, the order increases reporting requirements and caps the amount of processed water wineries can dispose of through land application and subsurface disposal. It also specifies requirements for water treatment systems and ponds, and requires extensive groundwater monitoring for the state’s largest wineries.
The order was developed with substantial involvement from industry and SWRCB is giving wineries up to eight years to comply with the rules which would only affect wineries producing more than 10,000 gallons of wastewater per year.
The Wine Institute estimates 2,036 of the 3,612 bonded wineries in California will be subject to the order.
