Nevada Irrigation District operates and maintains over 475 miles of irrigation canals in Nevada, Placer and Yuba counties. In effort to deliver a reliable source of water to customers, the District implements an Integrated Vegetation Management Program to control algae and vegetation that pose challenges to reliable and successful water delivery.

The presence of algae and vegetation within, adjacent and near District irrigation canal systems challenge water delivery when algae and vegetation growth consume canal system capacity, impede water flow, clog water intakes, and serve as habitat for other pests.

District Integrated Vegetation Management Program algae and vegetation control practices comply with federal, state and local regulations, including those of the US Environmental Protection Agency, California Environmental Protection Agency, California Department of Pesticide Regulation, State Water Resources Control Board, State Regional Water Quality Control Board, Nevada County Agriculture Commission, Placer County Agriculture Commission and Yuba County Agriculture Commission.

The goal of the Integrated Vegetation Management Program is to implement adaptive management techniques that are environmentally sound, effective, efficient and fiscally prudent.

Herds of goats, brought in by local agriculturalists, have proven to be successful weed control workers.

The District‘s Integrated Vegetation Management Program practices include education, prevention, physical control methods, mechanical control methods, herbicide control methods, and biological control methods.

The District continues to research new and innovative vegetation control methods to add to its Integrated Vegetation Management Program. These efforts have included trials with UC Davis researchers using acetic acid (household vinegar) applied to dry canal bottoms, barley straw and corn gluten, thermal steaming, burning, tarping, goat grazing and organic herbicide testing.

During the months of April through October, the District implements the Integrated Vegetation Management Program aquatic weed control in only those canals where algae and aquatic weed growth impede irrigation water deliveries to customers. Each year, the District plans and publishes a Seasonal Application Schedule to notify nearby water users when aquatic weed  control applications are planned for those specific canals, where and when algae and aquatic weeds impede irrigation water deliveries to customers.

Next week, the District plans to perform terrestrial vegetation control applications along the following canals:

SPRAY SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 16 – DECEMBER 20, 2024

Monday 12/16
No Canal Spraying

Tuesday 12/17
Clear Creak
Magnolia 1 
Magnolia 2 North
Magnolia 2 South 
Weeks

Wednesday 12/18
Clear Creek 
Farm
Lonestar 
Magnolia 1 
Rielli 
Weeks

Thursday 12/19
Bogdanoff
Farm
Ousley Bar
Renken 
Rielli 

Friday 12/20
No Canal Spraying

The vegetation control applications listed above are tentative and may be postponed and/or modified in the event there is a change in environmental conditions (e.g., wind, rain) that poses risk of drift or runoff.

The vegetation control herbicide applications are performed by trained, certified and/or licensed applicators that adhere to regulatory-approved manufacturer material labels.

The vegetation control herbicide applications comply with federal, state and local regulations.
 

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