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Information Sheet IS-26 Reissued Waste Discharge Requirements General Order R5-2013-0122 Existing Milk Cow Dairies Surface water can also be degraded and polluted by both the type and high concentrations of pollutants in dairy cow manure and manure wastewater. Ammonia in the waste is highly toxic to aquatic life and can suppress dissolved oxygen concentrations. In addition, nitrogen and phosphorus compounds in the waste can cause excessive algal growth in surface waters, resulting in lower oxygen levels and which in turn causes fish and other organisms to die. The presence of pathogens in the waste can create a public health threat through human contact with affected waters. Prior to the issuance of the 2007 General Order, the Central Valley Water Board had documented many discharges of waste from existing milk cow dairies to surface water. Between 2004 and 2007, approximately 70 Dischargers had received Notices of Violation from the Central Valley Water Board for such discharges. The Notices of Violation required immediate cleanup of the discharge and either remediation of the cause of the discharge or a plan with an implementation schedule for such remediation. Additional formal enforcement can be taken based on a case-by-case evaluation of the circumstances. Such enforcement could include the issuance of Administrative Civil Liability by the Board or referral to prosecutors for civil or criminal action. This General Order includes prohibitions, specifications, and provisions for the existing ponds and new ponds, the production area and land application areas that are consistent with state regulations. Consistent with Title 27, this General Order prohibits the direct or indirect discharge of waste from the production area to surface water. This General Order also prohibits discharges of: (1) wastewater to surface waters from cropland, and (2) waste to surface waters that causes pollution or nuisance, or that causes or contributes to exceedances of any water quality objective in the Basin Plans or water quality criteria set forth in the California Toxics Rule and the National Toxics Rule. Storm water may contain pollutants from dairy wastes if the storm water is allowed to contact manured areas or commingle with wastewater from the dairy. This General Order prohibits discharges of storm water from the production area to surface water and any discharge of storm water to surface water from the land application areas being used for nutrient utilization unless that discharge is from land that has been managed consistent with a certified Nutrient Management Plan. How Will the Board Regulate the Discharge of These Wastes? Prohibitions: The Dairy General Order includes a number of prohibitions to protect surface and groundwater quality, and to ensure that waste discharges not regulated by this Order are prohibited unless otherwise regulated by another Order of the Central Valley Water Board. General Specifications: The Dairy General Order includes a number of General Specifications that require dairy facilities regulated under this Order to: maintain and retain process wastewater together with all precipitation and drainage through manured areas up to including a 25-year, 24-hour storm; protect ponds and manured areas from inundation or washout by overflow from any stream channel at least during 20-year peak stream flows, and for many facilities be protected against 100-year peak stream flows; direct all precipitation and surface