Supporting productive farms and clean water

As part of a multi-year effort, the last chapters of the Voluntary Clean Water Guidance for Agriculture are available for public review and comment. This marks a major milestone in the development of this technical resource, which outlines best management practices (BMPs) that agricultural producers can use to protect water quality. Our goal is to support both clean water and productive farms across Washington.

The chapters available for comment focus on key agricultural practices that help control and treat pollution:

• Minimizing runoff and preventing erosion: Practices such as cover crops and contour farming reduce runoff and protect soil from eroding.
• Infiltrating runoff and intercepting eroded soil: Vegetative practices including filter strips reduce runoff and sediment erosion.
• Managing fertilizers and pesticides: Ensuring nutrients (manure and chemical fertilizers) and pesticides are applied in the right amount, at the right time, and in the right place limits the amount of chemicals and nutrients that can be transported to surface waters or groundwater.
• Efficiently applying irrigation water: Irrigation management protects water quality by ensuring that water is applied efficiently and only when needed, reducing excess runoff that can carry nutrients, pesticides, and sediments to surface waters or groundwater.
• Controlling surface and subsurface drainage: Controlling subsurface drainage protects water quality by regulating the flow of drainage water, reducing nutrient loss (especially nitrogen), and limiting the transport of pollution to nearby water. Routing clean water around contaminated areas and controlling runoff and infiltration during storm events also helps protect water quality.

Developing the guidance

Creating the guidance has been a long-term effort involving multiple years of research using best available science, iterative drafting, and partner engagement. Throughout this effort, Ecology collaborated with advisory groups made up of representatives from:

• State agencies
• Conservation Districts
• Agricultural producer groups
• Environmental organizations
• Tribal representatives

This collaborative process helps ensure guidance that is technically sound and reflective of agricultural practices across the state. By including diverse perspectives on our advisory groups, our hope was to capture solutions that are effective, regionally appropriate, and can support Washington's water and working lands.

Once complete, the guidance will consist of 14 chapters. We previously submitted five to EPA and are now completing the remaining chapters. Each chapter outlines conservation practices, their effectiveness in reducing pollution, and key considerations for implementation.

Using the guidance

Agricultural producers and landowners are essential partners in addressing nonpoint pollution statewide. The guidance is a key tool in Ecology's work to protect water quality while working alongside the agricultural community. When followed, the guidance provides assurances to landowners that water quality is protected and that they are in compliance with water quality laws.

We use the guidance to:

• Inform water cleanup plans and strategies
• Provide landowners and partners with consistent technical assistance and recommendations
• Offer financial assistance and grant funding
• Shape outreach and education efforts

Ecology has a long history of supporting the types of best management practices that are in the guidance through the agency's grant programs. As we finalize the guidance, Ecology remains committed to helping partners and landowners implement and maintain clean water solutions.

Draft chapters available for comment

For this round, we began posting draft chapters online as they were ready - starting with the first in May, followed by additional chapters released on a rolling basis through the summer and early fall. This week, we posted the last three draft chapters.

We want to hear from you! We are accepting comments on all eight draft chapters through 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 21, 2025. Visit our webpage to review draft guidance chapters.

The eight chapters are:

• Crop Systems
• Nutrient Management
• Pesticide Management
• Vegetative Sediment Control
• Irrigation Management
• Subsurface Drainage Management
• Runoff Control for Agriculture Facilities
• Suites of Practices

Additionally, we added a section on manure lagoons to Chapter 11 - Livestock Management (Animal Confinement, Manure Handling & Storage). We are also accepting comments on those additions.

Comments on the draft plan can be submitted online or by mail:

• Comment online using the Clean Water Guidance comment form
• Comment by mail:
  Ron Cummings
  WA State Department of Ecology
  P.O. Box 47696
  Olympia, WA 98504-7696

Upcoming webinar

We are hosting a webinar on Nov. 5, 2025, at 10 a.m. to discuss our process and share an overview of the practices covered. There will be time for questions after the presentation. Because this is not a formal hearing, we will not be taking spoken testimony.

Register on Zoom for the webinar.

Next steps

After the close of the public comment period, we will prepare a response to comments and describe any changes to the draft chapters. Our plan is to submit the remaining Clean Water Guidance chapters, alongside the 2025 Nonpoint Plan update, to EPA by the end of the year.

To learn more, visit the guidance and Nonpoint Plan webpage.