Water Quality

Land use affects water quality. From the sudsy car-wash runoff in neighborhood gutters, to irrigation water laced with fertilizer and pesticides, unused water ends up in the bay, the ocean, or ground aquifers where it affects wildlife and the quality of the water we drink. 

Land owners and managers can learn more about protecting water quality through the links below.

Ranch Water Quality Short Course
The California Rangleland Water Quality Management Plan provides for a voluntary approach to complying with the requirements of the Clean Water Act and Coastal Zone Management Act. Landowners completing this five-session short course receive a certificate documenting their training. 

Rangeland Water Quality Conference 
The Rangeland Water Quality Conference took place in Woodland, CA on February 23 and 24, 2005. The goal of the conference was to increase knowledge of rangeland water quality issues in California, including management approaches and strategies for implementation.
Link to the full text of some papers and topics discussed at the conference http://forestry.berkeley.edu/rangelandwq/

Rangeland Watershed Program Fact Sheets
Published jointly by UC Cooperative Extension and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, these Fact Sheets cover a broad variety of rangeland water quality and management topics.  Visit http://danr.ucop.edu/uccelr/htoc.htm to browse and download fact sheets. 

Santa Cruz County Resource Conservation District
SCCRCD has a variety of free publications on water quality and other conservation topics available to order through their website. Browse for publications here http://www.sccrcd.org/index.php?section=search_pubs