The UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Water & Soil Program provides education, applied research, and technical assistance in agricultural water management to cultivated crop producers such as winegrape, orchard, and vegetable farmers in Sonoma, Napa, Marin, and Mendocino counties. The program is interested in practices that help farmers improve water efficiency, understand soil water interactions, and adapt to environmental extremes. Through this work, the program advances knowledge and delivers practical resources to support sustainable and productive farming.
The Water & Soil Program is led by Helaine Berris. Helaine received a B.S. in Eco-Hydrology from the University of Nevada Reno, a M.S. in Hydrologic Sciences and a M.S. in International Agricultural Development from University of California Davis. For inquiries, please contact -
Water
Water Sampling & Testing
- Assessing Water Quality and Taking a Water Sample
- Testing Agricultural Water for Fruit and Vegetable Production and Postharvest Handling - WSU
- Selected Plant and Soil Laboratories in Northern and Central California
- Click "Services Provided," at the top of the page to see lab testing capabilities.
Water Quality
- Agricultural Water Quality, Treatment, and Testing
- Water Quality Technical Notes
Irrigation Management
- Irrigation scheduling and vineyard water use
- Deficit Irrigation of Quality Winegrapes Using Micro-Irrigation Techniques
- Determining Irrigation Requirements
- Methods and Tools for Irrigation Scheduling - UCANR Grapevine Short Course presentation
- Soil moisture sensors for irrigation scheduling - University of Minnesota Extension
- Specialty Crops Water Management
- Vineyard Irrigation
- Vineyard Irrigation with a Limited Supply of Water (video)
- When to start irrigating vineyards
- Irrigation tools
- CA Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS) - DWR
- CIMIS ETo Zones Map
- CA Water Watch - DWR
- Measuring Grapevine Water Stress - Stem Water Potential (video)
- Soil moisture sensors
- Document
- DIY tensiometer guide
- Irrigation efficiency
- Irrigation Design and Maintenance
- Choosing the right irrigation system and equipment - University of Minnesota Extension
- Filtration, Treatment, and Maintenance Considerations for Micro-Irrigation Systems - Virginia Cooperative Extension
- Irrigation Filtration
- Irrigation Clogging
- Maintenance of Microirrigation Systems
- Maintaining Microirrigation Systems When Using Well Water
- Using Flowmeters for Monitoring Irrigation Applications
Soil
Soil Sampling & Testing
- How to Do Soil Sampling - CDFA Healthy Soils Program, Video
- Planning Soil Sampling Worksheet - UCCE Sonoma Specialty Crops Program
- Soil Sampling (general) - CDFA
- Soil Sampling in Orchards & Vineyards - CDFA
- Soil Fertility Interpretation - UCCE Sonoma Specialty Crops Program
- Document
- Selected Plant and Soil Laboratories in Northern and Central California
- Click "Services Provided," at the top of the page to see lab testing capabilities.
Soil Health
- CA Crop Fertilization Guidelines - CDFA
- Cover Crop Selection Tool - Western Cover Crop Council
- Soil & Nutrient Management - UCCE Sonoma Specialty Crops Program Resources
Soil Mapping and Tools
- Web Soil Survey - NRCS
- UC Soil Web
- Soil moisture by feel - NRCS
- Soil texture by feel - NRCS
Groundwater Policy & Management
CA's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA)
Sonoma County Groundwater
- Sonoma County Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSA)
- Find your groundwater basin - data map viewer
- GSA Programs
- Flow Smart - Voluntary groundwater flow-metering program
- Level Up - Voluntary groundwater well-monitoring program
- Well Aware - Tools for building local groundwater sustainability
- Permit Sonoma Updated Well Permitting
Napa County Groundwater
Marin County Groundwater
Mendocino County Groundwater
Technical Assistance & Funding Opportunities
- Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF)
- Farmer Funding Opportunities Database
- California Underserved and Small Producer (CUSP) Program
- Grants for drought relief
- CA Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)
- CA Department of Water Resources (DWR)
- Gold Ridge RCD -
- Marin RCD
- Mendocino RCD
- Napa RCD
- Sonoma RCD -
- USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Events
Water Talk Podcast - Download all the episodes in Spotify, Apple, and Google podcasts