Watering the Emerald Triangle: Irrigation sources used by cannabis cultivators in Northern California

Water use by cannabis cultivators represents an emerging threat to surface flows in Northern California s sensitive watersheds. To date, however, no data has been available to formally assess where cannabis sites source their water. This study analyzed data from annual reports, covering the year 201...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Berkeley undergraduate journal of classics 2019-09, Vol.73 (3), p.146-153
Main Authors: Dillis, Christopher, Grantham, Theodore E, McIntee, Connor, McFadin, Bryan, Grady, Kason
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural equipment
Beryl
Cannabis
Environmental aspects
Environmental regulations
Gardening
Hand tools
Irrigation (Agriculture)
Marijuana
Marijuana trade
Quality control
Regional analysis
Statistics
Surface water
Waste disposal
Water
Water quality
Water quality control
Water resources
Water use
Water wells
Watersheds
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Summary:Water use by cannabis cultivators represents an emerging threat to surface flows in Northern California s sensitive watersheds. To date, however, no data has been available to formally assess where cannabis sites source their water. This study analyzed data from annual reports, covering the year 2017, submitted by 901 cannabis cultivators enrolled in the Cannabis Waste Discharge Regulatory Program administered by the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. The analysis identified cannabis cultivators most common sources for water extraction, monthly patterns for each water source and differences between sites compliant and not compliant with the cannabis program. The most commonly reported source of water was wells (58% of sites), with most extraction from wells occurring during the growing season (April through October). Surface water diversions (22% of sites) and spring diversions (16% of sites) were the most common sources after wells, with extractions from these sources distributed much more evenly across the year. Although nearly one-third of noncompliant sites (33%) used wells, this source was more than twice as frequently reported among compliant sites (68%), indicating that wells may become increasingly common as more sites become part of the regulated cannabis industry.
ISSN:0008-0845
2160-8091
2373-7115
DOI:10.3733/ca.2019a0011