USDA will invest $56 million this year to
help Ag producers improve water quality in more than 300 high-priority
watersheds across the country.

In Oregon, NRCS will continue its landscape-level water quality
efforts using the National
Water Quality Initiative
 (NWQI).

NRCS launched NWQI in 2012 as a partnership among NRCS, state water quality agencies and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to identify and address impaired water bodies through voluntary conservation.  Since then, priority watersheds across the country have seen improvements, including the delisting of once impaired streams.

Through this initiative, NRCS offers technical and financial
assistance to farmers and ranchers to implement practices that avoid, control
and trap nutrients and sediment, which in high quantities negatively impact
water quality. Practices include filter strips, cover crops and manure
management, which promote soil health, reduce erosion and lesson nutrient
runoff.

NRCS expanded the scope of NWQI in 2019 to include source water protection for community drinking water systems. In Oregon, conservation partners submitted 5 proposals, all of which were selected by USDA in February of 2020 to undergo a readiness phase. The “readiness phase” includes developing a detailed watershed assessment and an outreach strategy to agricultural producers. Following the readiness phase, these areas would then be eligible to receive federal Farm Bill funding to implement the measures identified in their plans specific to agricultural impacts.  

Newly approved NRCS NWQI Source Water Protection projects include:

  • Clackamas River watershed serving multiple water systems in the Clackamas River Water Providers
  • Long Tom River serving City of Monroe
  • Rogue River serving the City of Grants Pass, Medford and other water providers in the Rogue basin
  • Santiam River serving Cities of Albany, Jefferson, Lebanon, Salem and Stayton
  • Tualatin River serving partners in the Joint Water Commission; the Cities of Hillsboro, Forest Grove, Beaverton, and the Tualatin Valley Water District

“We’ve learned that when we partner with producers to deliver
conservation practices to critical watersheds, we see a positive impact,” said
Oregon State Conservationist Ron Alvarado. “Through these partnerships, we
maximize the delivery of our conservation efforts, which yields greater results
to water quality and benefits the public, our natural resources and farmers’
bottom lines.”

“The Oregon Health Authority sees this as a great opportunity for
basin partners to work with public water systems to maintain and enhance source
water quality through implementation of conservation measures” said Dave Emme,
Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Services Manager.  “This work can
benefit both public health and economic viability within these communities by lowering
treatment and maintenance costs, reducing public health risks associated with
many contaminants, and improving long-term viability of drinking water
sources.”

The communities were selected based on a set of screening criteria
and resources jointly developed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon
Watershed Enhancement Board, Water Resources Department, NRCS and Department of
Environmental Quality. Support for these projects was high from the local
watershed representatives, including the county soil and water conservation
districts, watershed councils, drinking water utilities and other local
partners.

"Oregon works best when we work together, and this is a great
example of collaboration to improve critical sources of drinking water and fish
habitat," said Leah Feldon Deputy Director of Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality. "These resources go straight to local communities
to develop conservation and protection plans designed for watersheds."

NRCS is working with project sponsors in these communities to
coordinate development of drinking water source protection plans and outreach
strategies; and to begin developing conservation plans with interested farmers
and ranchers in these areas. Oregon DEQ, in partnership with the Oregon Health
Authority, has already completed source water assessments for these areas,
which made them eligible candidates for the readiness phase.

Through these efforts, NRCS has strengthened focus on watershed
assessment and partner engagement in priority small watersheds in fiscal year
2020.

Nationally, water quality is improving in NWQI watersheds. State
water quality agency partners report that 27% of NWQI monitoring watersheds
show an improvement in water quality in at least one of the NWQI-monitored
pollutants (based on 2016 data). Further, 81% of these improvements can be
attributed to or associated with agricultural conservation practices
implemented by farmers and ranchers.

Since its launch, NWQI has:

  • Helped producers implement conservation on 825,000 acres
  • Reduced sediment loss by 850,000 tons
  • Reduced phosphorous loss by 2 million pounds
  • Reduced nitrogen loss by 9.6 million pounds

If you have a story idea for the Washington Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekradio.com

More From PNW Ag Network