Planning and Implementing Agricultural Water Quality Projects/Through the National Water Quality Initiative: Practitioners Guide Published

The National Water Quality Initiative (“NWQI”) published a document titled:

Planning and Implementing Agricultural Water Quality Projects Through the National Water Quality Initiative: A Practitioners Guide (“Guide”)

The NWQI is described as a partnership between the United States Department of Agriculture’s (“USDA”) Natural Resources Conservation Service (“NRCS”), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), and state water quality agencies (“SWQAs”)that began in 2012 in an effort to:

. . . reduce nutrient, sediment and pathogen runoff and to improve water quality in agricultural watersheds.

The purpose of the Guide is described as familiarizing EPA, NRCS, and SWQAs with the NWQI program in order to:

1. coordinate to develop and implement NWQI projects;
2. plan and complete necessary NWQI project administration and management preparatory tasks; and
3. provide outreach and education to partners involved in farm level NWQI project promotion and conservation practice implementation.

The Guide notes that watershed assessments, planning and implementation of conservation practices are a key component of the NWQI. A particular focus is increasing voluntary adoption of the “right conservation practices and systems, in the right position on the landscape, in the right amount, with the right timing and sequence of implementation.”

The Guide states it addresses how this approach is incorporated in NWQI and summarizes:

• NWQI program background and history
• The role of federal, state, and other partners
• How projects are conceived, planned, and implemented
• Eligibility, documentation, and reporting requirements

Components of the Guide include:

• Overview of the National Water Quality Initiative
• How the NWQI Program Operates
• Role of Federal, State, and Local Partners
• Planning and Implementing an NWQI Project
• Reporting and Project Documentation
• Technical and Other Resources

A copy of the Guide can be downloaded here.