Developing and Piloting a Water Quality Trading (WQT) Program for Agricultural Operators in the San Jacinto River Watershed

A water quality trading (WQT) feasibility assessment was recently completed for agricultural operators in the San Jacinto River Basin as a tool to implement the Lake Elsinore/Canyon Lake nutrient total maximum daily load (TMDL). The final WQT feasibility assessment concluded that farmers will benefit from trading to meet allowable nutrient loads assigned to agricultural sources through the TMDL, with additional demand generated through Conditional Waiver for Agricultural Dischargers requirements. There now is a need to develop a nonpoint source-to-nonpoint source WQT program for agricultural operators in the San Jacinto River watershed and pilot such a program. This project seeks to develop and pilot WQT program rules and infrastructure to support nonpoint source-to-nonpoint source trading in the San Jacinto River watershed using a stakeholder-based approach. The objectives are to facilitate key stakeholders through the WQT program design phase and to test the WQT program’s ability to effect quantifiable load reduction goals, with the ultimate goal of implementing the WQT program in high priority areas to help achieve the TMDL nutrient load reductions and provide new tools to support other nonpoint source-to-nonpoint source WQT approaches across the country.