USDA Announces New National Water Quality Initiative

Includes 62 Mississippi River Basin - Coastal Louisiana Watersheds

Yesterday (May 8) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the launch of the agency's new National Water Quality Initiative; a program that USDA describes as an effort to improve between one and seven "impaired watersheds in every U.S. state and territory." Under the Initiative, USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will make at least $33 million in financial assistance available to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners during the current (2012) Fiscal Year to implement conservation practices that help improve water quality in targetted watersheds. The funding that will defer part of the landowner's cost of the conservation practices will be made available through NRCS's Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), a Farm Bill Conservation Title program.

Nationally, a total of 157 watersheds in 44 states have been selected by USDA for the grant money under the Iniative. USDA noted that the watersheds were selected in partnership with state agencies, NRCS State Technical Committees and others. Sixty-two watersheds are located within the Mississippi River Basin and Coastal Louisiana region.  A listing of those 62 watersheds follows this article.  A map of all 157 selected watersheds is available here (NOTE-a large file) and a complete list of watersheds can be found here. Both are PDF files. The Initiative will  focus on watersheds sized between 10,000 and 40,000 acres, since those are the watersheds where NRCS believes conservation efforts can result in measurable improvements to water quality.

Applications for the grant moneys under the Initiative will be accepted by USDA starting on May 18.  Although NRCS will accept Initiative grant applications on a continuous basis throughout the year, to be considered for this (2012) fiscal year's funding opportunity, applications must be submitted by June 15.

You can read the entire USDA press release concerning the National Water Quality Initiative here, and can find more details regarding the Initiative and how to submit a grant application on the program web site, here.

Mississippi River - Coastal Louisiana Watersheds Included in USDA's National Water Quality Initiative

State	Name of 8-Digit HUC	Name of 12-Digit HUC	Number 12-Digit HUC
AR	Bayou Bartholomew	Jacks Bayou	80402050302
AR	Bayou Bartholomew	Upper Deep Bayou	80402050303
AR	Bayou Bartholomew	Lower Deep Bayou	80402050304
CO	Arkansas Headwaters	Deweese Reservoir	110200011213
IA	Upper Chariton	Lower South Fork CharitonRiver	102802010108
IA	North Raccoon	Wall Lake Inlet	71000060401
IA	Lake Red Rock	Badger Creek	71000080402
IL	Vermilion	Lake Vermillion-North Fork Vermilion River	51201090806
IL	Lower Wabash	Crooked Creek-Bonpas Creek	51201130403
IL	Lower Kaskaskia	Douglas Creek	71402040603
IN	Eel	Silver Creek	051201040501
IN	Patoka	Ell Creek	051202090405
IN	Upper White	Eagle Creek Reservoir-Eagle Creek	051202011108
KS	Big	Big Creek	102600070305
KS	Little Arkansas	Emma Creek	110300120402
KS	Delaware	Grasshopper Creek	102701030202
KY	Lower Cumberland	Bennettstown-Little River	051302050505
KY	Lower Kentucky	Clarks Run	051002050505
KY	South Fork Licking	Headwaters Hinkston Creek	051001020302
LA	Mermentau	Indian Bayou	80802020101
LA	Lower Ouachita	Lake Louis	80402070303
LA	Tangipahoa	East Fork Big Creek	80702050202
LA	Tangipahoa	Big Creek	80702050203
MN	Blue Earth	*Elm Creek	070200090907
MN	Middle Minnesota	Sevenmile Creek	070200071103
MN	Chippewa	Chippewa River	070200051105
MO	Spring	Kyle Creek- North Fork Spring River	110702070202
MO	Lower Grand	Lower Little Medicine Creek	102801030103
MO	South Fabius River	Upper Troublesome Creek	71100030202
MS	Tippah River	North Tippah Creek	80302010502
MT	Upper Yellowstone Big Lake	Limestone Creek	100700050202
MT	Upper Yellowstone Big Lake	Rosebud	100700050406
NE	Salt	Holmes Creek	102002030301
NE	Salt	Cottonwood Creek	102002030701
NE	Middle Big Blue	Upper Cub Creek	102702020302
NE	Middle Big Blue	Outlet Big Indian Creek	102702020506
ND	Spring Creek		101302010908
ND	Spring Creek		101302010909
NY	Conewango	Ball Creek-Chautauqua Lake	050100020204
NY	Conewango	Bemus Creek-ChautauquaLake	050100020206
NY	Conewango	Chadakoin River-Chautauqua Lake	050100020207
OH	Sugar Creek	East Branch South Fork Sugar Creek	50400011002
OH	Tuscarawas	Tommy Run-Chippewa	50400010205
OK	Black Bear - Red Rock	Panther Creek - Red Rock Creek	110600060503
OK	Black Bear - Red Rock	Oak Creek - Black Bear Creek	110600060502
OK	Lower Cimarron-Skeleton	Sand Creek	110500020408
OK	Lower Cimarron-Skeleton	0409 - Turkey Creek	110500020409
SD	Lower Big Sioux	Colton Creek	101702031002
SD	Lower Big Sioux	Buffalo Creek	101702030802
SD	Lower Big Sioux	Jensen Creek	101702031003
SD	Lower Big Sioux	Willow Creek	101702031103
TN	Duck River Watershed	Caney Creek	60400020704
TN	Lower Kentucky Reservoir	Holly Fork Creek	60400050603
TN	Little Tennessee River Basin	Fork Creek	60102040504
WI	Sugar River	Ward Creek - Little Sugar River	70900040402
WI	Buffalo-Whitewater	Waumaundee Creek	70400030405
WV	Greenbrier	Knapps Creek	050500030201
WV	Greenbrier	Knapps Creek	050500030202
WV	Greenbrier	Knapps Creek	050500030203
WY	Lower Wind	Pavilion	100800050202
WY	Lower Wind	Five Mile Creek - Ocean Drain	100800050107
WY	Lower Wind	Pilot Butte Reservoir	100800050201