New rules limit vineyard runoff in Mendocino and Sonoma counties to protect waterways

The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board has approved an order that recently went into effect to limit the amount of waste discharged by commercial vineyards in both Mendocino and Sonoma counties.  

The order, called the General Waste Discharge Requirements for Commercial Vineyards, is a policy designed to protect local rivers and streams, groundwater supplies and aquatic species by regulating runoff from an estimated 65,000 acres of commercial vineyards.