Mission
The mission of Valley Water Collaborative is to maintain and improve the quality of life in the northern San Joaquin Valley by implementing programs that provide access to safe drinking water for residents, and by engaging in activities with the goal of protecting or enhancing the quality of groundwater used as drinking water for residents in the region.
About
The Valley Water Collaborative (VWC) is a non-profit organization based in Modesto, CA which assists agriculture, cities and industries in complying with the Nitrate Control Program (NCP) adopted by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board). The VWC program offers free domestic well testing for residences in the Modesto and Turlock groundwater basins and bottled water delivery for eligible program applicants. Beginning March 1, 2025, VWC will be expanding its program to five more groundwater basins: Delta-Mendota, Eastern San Joaquin, Madera, Merced, and Yolo.
Nitrate Control Program
Nitrate in parts of the Central Valley is often found above drinking water standards. Residences who rely on private domestic wells or small private water systems as their source of drinking water are the focus of the NCP to address this potential health threat.
In the NCP, the Regional Board requires that cities and industries that discharge nitrate identify residents impacted by high nitrate in their wells and provide access to safe drinking water for affected residents.
VWC was established July 7, 2020 to organize and operate local “Management Zones” that encompass the Modesto and Turlock groundwater basins as mandated in the NCP. In March 2025, VWC will expand its program to five additional groundwater basins in the Central Valley: Delta-Mendota, Eastern San Joaquin, Madera, Merced, and Yolo. The NCP regulates agriculture, dairies, publicly owned wastewater treatment facilities and businesses including food processors, wineries and others.
VWC, which raised funds for plan development and drinking water alternatives, is managed by a 12-member board of directors representing agriculture, including dairies and poultry facilities, cities, wineries and food processors. Funding for the NCP comes from water quality permit holders.
Nitrate Control Program Plans
The NCP requires that all Management Zones in the Central Valley develop a plan to address solutions to nitrate in domestic drinking water wells in the groundwater basin and describe how well testing and replacement water will be distributed to those whose water source contains high nitrate. The Management Zone Implementation Plan (MZIP), which focuses on the Modesto and Turlock groundwater basins, can be read here: https://www.cvsalinity.org/resources/management-zone-development/.
The five new groundwater basins each have a draft Early Action Plan, which is part of the Preliminary Management Zone Proposal. This plan describes how promotions and outreach will be used to notify residents of the program rollout, as well as detailing nitrate groundwater quality. The draft plans for Delta-Mendota, Eastern San Joaquin, Madera, Merced, and Yolo are open for public comment and can be read below. Please email your comments to contact@valleywaterc.org by November 1, 2024.
Priority 2 EAP Public Draft
Early Action Plan for Delta-Mendota, Eastern San Joaquin, Madera, Merced, and Yolo
More Information About the Nitrate Control Program
Program Expansion
In 2022, the Valley Water Collaborative expanded beyond its initial focus on nitrate contamination in domestic wells that pump from the Modesto and Turlock groundwater basins. Testing for constituents arsenic, 1,2,3-TCP, DBCP, EDB, Total Chromium, and uranium were added to the domestic well testing and replacement water program being managed by Valley Water Collaborative. The program expansion is funded by a grant from the State Water Board’s Division of Financial Assistance (DFA) and its Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund (SAFER). See press release here about the new program.
VWC Board of Directors, Staff and Consultants
Board Officers
- Justin Gioletti, Chair (Robert Gioletti and Sons Dairy)
- David Brush, Secretary (Grower/Mid-Valley Agricultural Services/East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition)
- Ray Prock, Treasurer (Sevana Bioenergy)
Board Members
- David Belt (California Poultry Federation)
- Kim Burns (E&J Gallo Winery)
- Joshua Casas (City of Ceres)
- Julie Connel (Hilmar Cheese Company, Inc.)
- Paul Huckaba (Bronco Wine Company)
- Ben Koehler (City of Modesto)
- Art Riddick (Darling Ingredients)
- Loren Scoto (Grower/East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition)
- Antonio Tovar (Salida Sanitary District)
Staff
- Parry Klassen, Executive Director
- Courtney Jallo, Senior Program Manager
- Maureen Thompson, Program Manager
- Eva Dwyer, Assistant Program Manager
- Monica Quezada, Assistant Program Manager
- Jesus Nunez, Outreach Coordinator
- Ezra Klassen, Outreach Associate
Consultants
- Richard Meyerhoff and Jackie Takeda, GEI Consultants Inc.
- Vicki Kretsinger and Barbara Dalgish, Luhdorff and Scalmanini Consulting Engineers, Inc.
Service Providers
- Coalition for Urban Rural Environmental Stewardship
- Culligan Water Conditioning of Modesto
- GeoAnalytical Laboratories, Inc.
- Grimbleby Coleman Advisors & Accountants
- ReadyRefresh / BlueTriton
- SOURCE Global
- Websoft Developers, Inc.
Affiliated Organizations
- California League of Food Producers
- California Poultry Federation
- Central Valley Dairy Representative Monitoring Program
- Central Valley Salinity Coalition
- East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition
- Pacific Egg and Poultry Association
Valley Water Collaborative
1201 L Street, Modesto, CA 95354
contact@valleywaterc.org
(209) 750-3867