NRCS seeks new priority watersheds for two initiatives

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Indiana announced it is accepting proposals to designate new priority watersheds for two separate initiatives, including the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI) and National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI), through April 18. 

Known as “America’s River,” the Mississippi River is North America’s largest river, flowing over 2,300 miles to the Gulf of America. The Mississippi River Basin watershed not only provides drinking water, food, industrial opportunities and recreation for more than 18 million people, it also hosts a globally significant migratory flyway and is home to more than 325 bird species. Through MRBI, NRCS and its partners work with producers and landowners to implement voluntary conservation practices that improve water quality, restore wetlands, enhance wildlife habitat and sustain agricultural profitability in the Mississippi River Basin. New watershed proposals should benefit these natural resource priorities and align with state nutrient loss reduction strategies.

NWQI is a joint initiative between NRCS and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address agricultural sources of water pollution, specifically nutrients, sediment and pathogens in priority watersheds, with a special component for source water protection plans to identify critical source areas needing further treatment related to agricultural land uses. This strategic approach leverages funds and provides streamlined assistance to help individual agricultural producers take needed actions in impaired watersheds. New priority watershed proposals can be located anywhere in Indiana and should address these nutrient and sediment loading concerns. 

“We see a positive impact across the state when we partner with producers to deliver conservation practices in critical watersheds,” said Indiana NRCS State Conservationist Damarys Mortenson. “These focused initiatives allow us to maximize the delivery of our conservation efforts and achieve greater improvements to water quality, which benefits the participating producers, the public and our state’s natural resources.”

Projects must have a watershed assessment plan that meets NRCS guidelines to be eligible for implementation funding, which provides financial incentives to landowners to install conservation practices benefitting the watershed. Projects that do not have an approved plan can apply for planning phase funding, which will allow the partner to develop a watershed assessment plan and outreach strategy that addresses nutrient loss reduction strategies or source water protection within their watershed. 

Projects with an already approved watershed assessment plan can apply for targeted Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and/or Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) funding for implementation of conservation practices over the course of several years. The approved watershed assessment plan does not have to be a product of the planning phase but does need to meet the NRCS assessment plan criteria.

Partners who are interested in protecting a priority watershed in their area through either the planning phase or implementation phase should contact Kim Lampert, Special Initiatives Coordinator for Partnerships, at kim.lampert@usda.gov for information and application materials. Application materials are due no later than April 18.

To learn more about MRBI visit: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-initiatives/mississippi-river-basin-healthy-watersheds-initiative. 

To learn more about NWQI, visit https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-initiatives/national-water-quality-initiative. 

For more information about NRCS and other technical and financial assistance available through conservation programs, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted or contact your district conservationist https://www.farmers.gov/working-with-us/service-center-locator. 

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