By Shelby Shank
Field Editor

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Texas announced an additional sign-up period for the National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) for the 2024 fiscal year funding opportunity.

The NWQI is offered through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and is designed to help farmers, ranchers and landowners to improve water quality.

“Each state is allowed to select areas that we can focus our conservation efforts into and try to make improvements to water quality. In Texas, we have four of those,” Kyle Wright, state water quality specialist with USDA NRCS, said.

The four priority Hydrologic Unit Code-12 (HUC-12) watershed areas include:

  • The Aransas River priority area, which consists of 12 HUC-12 watersheds in Bee, Refugio and San Patricio counties.
  • The Big Elm Creek priority area, which consists of seven HUC-12 watersheds in Bell, Falls, Milam and McLennan counties.
  • The Lake Lavon priority area, which consists of nine HUC-12 watersheds in Grayson, Fannin, Collin and Hunt counties.
  • The Lampasas River priority area, which consists of eight HUC-12 watersheds in Lampasas and Burnet counties.

“Those were selected based on input from all of our partners and looking at all sorts of different aspects to where we thought we could do the best work and get the most accomplished as far as conservation,” Wright said.

Farmers, ranchers and landowners implement practices and activities in their conservation plan that can lead to cleaner water and air, healthier soil and better wildlife habitat, while also improving agricultural operations.

Common conservation practices that can be funded through this opportunity include brush management, crop rotation, prescribed grazing, fencing, ponds, range planting, irrigation type practices and many more.

Applying for assistance
Wright encourages those interested in the opportunity to contact their USDA NRCS office and see if they’re eligible for the program.

“I’d encourage people to jump on this opportunity. It’s an excellent opportunity. In addition, even if they’re not in the watershed, it could be the opportunity to take a look out at other work that we’re doing,” Wright said.

The funding application deadline is Aug 9, 2024.

NRCS works one-on-one with farmers, ranchers and landowners to develop a conservation plan that outlines conservation practices and activities to help solve on-farm resource issues.

Additional information is available on the Texas NRCS website at www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov.