On the state of Monterey County irrigation water
Frank Pecarich, a retired soil scientist from Oakland, California, offered his opinion on Monterey County's policies regarding irrigation water for crops in the Salinas Valley in an article for the California Progress Report.
In the article he stated, "State regulators do not require growers to test irrigation water for contaminants. To us the cause seems apparent and at the same time the circumstance seemingly most glaringly ignored by investigators. For us, the main and continuing problem is the use of tertiary treated effluent to irrigate crops consumed fresh without cooking. In particular and most vulnerable are the soft tissue, leafy green vegetables, lettuce and spinach."
