Orestimba Creek Feasibility Study - Stanislaus County

Economics Appendix – Draft Report - Orestimba Creek Feasibility Study, Stanislaus County, California – September 2012
The producer must manage plant and animal materials to maintain or improve soil
organic matter content in a manner that does not contribute to contamination of
crops, soil, or water by plant nutrients, pathogenic organisms, heavy metals, or
residues of prohibited substances. Animal and plant materials include:
(1) Raw animal manure, which must be composted unless it is:
(i) Applied to land used for a crop not intended for human consumption;
(ii) Incorporated into the soil not less than 120 days prior to the harvest of a
product whose edible portion has direct contact with the soil surface or soil
particles; or
(iii) Incorporated into the soil not less than 90 days prior to the harvest of a
product whose edible portion does not have direct contact with the soil surface or
soil particles;
For purposes of this analysis, any flooding of truck crop acreage will result in the assumption
that the vegetables are not fit for human consumption and valued as a total loss. It is deemed to
be inappropriate to assume any salvage of vegetable matter for human consumption considering
the risks associated with these deadly bacteria.
Planting of lands that have previously been flooded are not expected to be adversely affected
since the organic materials are assumed to be incorporated into the soil well in advance of the
time constraints currently provided by national guidelines.
Agricultural Inventory
The study area contains approximately 18,400 acres of agricultural lands that are subject to
flooding. About 3,400 acres of the affected floodplain is devoted to high value orchard
production; about 8,500 acres are planted with tomatoes used for processing, broccoli, and beans
in addition to other crop types; the remaining acreage is devoted primarily to field crops such as
pasture and alfalfa hay. These agricultural products have been consolidated into five different
farm budget analyses. In addition to the damages revealed through farm budget analysis,
damages to cropland and associated restoration costs have been included in the analysis.
Note in tables throughout the Agricultural Attachment, a flood frequency refers to the annual
chance of a flood event. For example, “100” means a 1% (1/100) annual chance exceedance
(ACE) event.
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