GROUND WATER PROTECTION
STATE OF INDIANA DRAFT GENERIC
PESTICIDE MANAGEMENT PLAN
Appendix E
WATERSHED LAND TREATMENT PROGRAM
The
Watershed Land Treatment Program provides cost-sharing and incentives
of landusers (i.e., landowners or long-term lease holders) for
applying practices on their land that reduce the amount of sediment
and nutrients from agricultural sources entering a T-by-2000,
project lake or river. The program applies to any watershed where
a Lake Enhancement preliminary investigation, feasibility study,
or equivalent study has determined that agricultural related sources
of pollution are contributing significantly to the respective
lake or river's water quality and/or sedimentation problems. The
Division of Soil Conservation, Indiana Department of Natural Resources
(IDNR), administers the program with the cooperation of Soil and
Water Conservation Districts (SWCDS) under policy established
by the State Soil Conservation Board. SWCDs implement the program
locally with assistance from the USDA Soil Conservation Service
(SCS), IDNR Division of Soil Conservation, Purdue Cooperative
Extension Service, and others. Funding requests for Watershed
Land Treatment Program projects are reviewed by the IDNR Division
of Soil Conservation and approved by the State Soil Conservation
Board based on the treatment needs for a total watershed project.
Projects are approved for up to a five-year period, with funding
allocated on an annual basis. The number of years needed for a
project will be determined by the size, scope and cost of the
project.
AUTHORITY FOR THE PROGRAM
Legislation
enacted by the Indiana General Assembly in 1997 and amended in
1991, provided direction and funding for the IDNR Division of
Soil Conservation to implement a lake and river enhancement component
of T-by-2000, which is a state-funded program aimed at significantly
reducing soil erosion and sedimentation throughout Indiana by
the year 2000. T-by-2000 Lake and River Enhancement provides technical
and financial assistance for projects aimed at controlling sediment
and nutrient inflows from agricultural sources and other land
disturbing activities in order to forestall or reverse the impacts
of such flows on Indiana's public-access lakes and rivers. In
August 1990, the State Soil Conservation Board revised the policy
governing T-by-2000 Lake and River Enhancement to include watershed
land treatment as a program element. Funding for cost-sharing
and incentives under the Watershed Land Treatment Program is provided
as part of the annual allotment for T-by-2000 Lake and River Enhancement.
That annual allotment comes from a lake and river enhancement
fee of $5.00 per boat collected as part of boat registration.
Additional funds may also be allocated for lake and river enhancement
activities on specific lakes and rivers through the "Build
Indiana Fund, or from other sources.
ELIGIBLE WATERSHED TREATMENT PRACTICES
The State Soil Conservation Board
maintains a list of approved practices that are eligible for cost-sharing
and incentives under the Watershed Land Treatment Program (Table
1). All practices must be applied according to the standards and
specifications provided in the Field Office Technical Guide, a
copy of that guide can be, found in the SCS/SWCD office in each
county. Additional practice standards and specifications not included
in the Technical Guide may be developed and agreed upon by the
IDNR Division of Soil Conservation, SCS, and other appropriate
cooperating agencies, with concurrence by the State Soil Conservation
Board. In order to receive cost-sharing and incentives, a landuser
must agree to apply, operate, and-maintain the respective practices
for their prescribed life span as outlined in the Field Office
Technical Guide. These practices must be a part of a resource
management system developed with the landuser. The resource management
system should outline the landusers decisions regarding conservation
practices to be applied on their land over a three-year period.
APPROVED COST-SHARE AND INCENTIVE
RATES The State Soil Conservation
Board establishes the cost-share and incentive rates for practices
applied under the Watershed Land Treatment Program. The maximum
rates are: (a) 80% of the actual or estimated cost, whichever
is least, for practices installed or applied within one mile of
a lake or one-half mile of a perennial stream; (b) 65% of the
actual or estimated cost, whichever is least for practices beyond
those distances; and (c) A maximum' payment of $20,000 to a landuser
on any single practice. Minor exceptions to the distance requirements
may be considered on individual practices by IDNR Division of
Soil Conservation.
SELECTION CRITERIA AND PRIORITIES FOR WATERSHED PROJECTS
Watershed
Land Treatment Program projects are considered for funding by
the State Soil Conservation Board for watershed areas above public-access
lakes and rivers where a Lake Enhancement preliminary investigation,
feasibility study, or equivalent study has determined that agricultural-,related
sources of pollution are contributing significantly to the lake's
water quality and/or sedimentation problems. Priority will be
given to projects where: 1. A technical watershed analysis has
identified critical areas and sources of agricultural-related
pollution in the watershed that need to be given treatment priority
for restoration of the lake or river; 2. The size of the watersheds
proposed for treatment is small enough to expect a high level
of land treatment during the project period, yet large enough
relative to the size of the lake or river to have a major impact
on the water quality and/or sedimentation in the project area;
3. The proposed treatment practices are well-suited for solving
the agricultural water quality and/or sedimentation problems identified
and are likely to be accepted and implemented by landowners in
the watersheds; 4. The local SWCD has demonstrated that they have
developed or are developing an implementation plan that will assure
significant benefits are derived from the project; and 5. The
proposed project is compatible with other federal, state, and
local programs in the area.
HOW TO APPLY FOR FUNDING
Funding
requests for Watershed Land Treatment projects must come from
Soil and Water Conservation Districts. If a proposed project area
includes more than one district, the affected SWCDs should work
together to develop an implementation plan. Each SWCD should then
apply for the funding necessary to administer that portion of
the watershed project which lies within its boundaries. Before
making application for funding, the SWCD(S) should contact the
T-by-200 Lake and River Enhancement staff to determine: (1) the
appropriate watersheds to include in the project; (2) if the proposed
project meets the eligibility criteria; and (3) if funding is
available. SWCDs may request Watershed Land Treatment Program
applications from: Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division
of Soil Conservation 402 West Washington Street, Room W265 Indianapolis,
Indiana 46204 (317) 233-3870 A project request is evaluated by
the Division to determine if the proposed project meets the selection
criteria. If so, the request is then forwarded to the Watershed
Advisory Committee for priority ranking and selection. The selected
projects are presented to the State Soil Conservation Board for
final approval.
WATERSHED LAND TREATMENT PROGRAM ELIGIBLE PRACTICES FOR COST-SHARE AND INCENTIVE ASSISTANCE
Conservation
tillage (no-till, mulch till, ridge till, etc.) Cover crop Critical
area planting Diversion Fencing (livestock exclusion) Field windbreak
Filter strip (field and stream) Grade stabilization structure
Grassed waterway Livestock watering facility Nutrient management
Before making application for funding, the SWCD(S) should contact
the T-by-200 Lake and River Enhancement staff to determine: (1)
the appropriate watersheds to include in the project; (2) if the
proposed project meets the eligibility criteria; and (3) if funding
is available. SWCDs may request Watershed Land Treatment Program
applications from: Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division
of Soil Conservation 402 West Washington Street, Room W265 Indianapolis,
Indiana 46204 (317) 233-3870 A project request is evaluated by
the Division to determine if the proposed project meets the selection
criteria. If so, the request is then forwarded to the Watershed
Advisory Committee for priority ranking and selection. The selected
projects are presented to the State Soil Conservation Board for
final approval.
WATERSHED LAND TREATMENT PROGRAM ELIGIBLE PRACTICES FOR COST-SHARE AND INCENTIVE ASSISTANCE
Conservation
tillage (no-till, mulch till, ridge till, etc.) Cover crop Critical
area planting Diversion Fencing (livestock exclusion) Field windbreak
Filter strip (field and stream) Grade stabilization structure
Grassed waterway Livestock watering facility Nutrient managementPasture
and hayland planting Pest management Sediment control basin Streambank
protection Terrace (gradient and parallel) Tree planting Waste
management system Waste utilization Water and sediment control
basin Wetland development or improvement special information and
demonstration projects or practices (approved by the State Soil
Conservation Board on a case by case basis)