The Yolo County RCD is currently conducting an in-depth study that is installing and testing the benefits of various forms of vegetated irrigation ditches, in order to assess their ability to improve runoff water quality, by filtering and removing sediment, nutrients, and the common pesticides, diazinon and permethrin.  According to Jeanette Wrysinski, the Vegetated Drainage Ditches Study senior program manager, “a mathematical model is nearly complete, which will summarize ditch processes, and assist in predicting the length of vegetation area needed, in order to significantly improve water quality”.

The final phase will involve the constructing and planting of these ditches in several local growers’ fields for testing under real-world conditions. This final phase is currently underway, and will be completed during the next irrigation season with fields planted with alfalfa and tomatoes. This system has already proven successful in the Mississippi River region of the United States, and the current project is focused on adjusting these techniques to work well with California’s specific cropping practices, soils, and climate.