INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Jerry Raynor, state conservationist for Indiana’s USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), has announced Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) dollars will be made available to farmers who want to voluntarily invest in conservation practices to improve water quality in the Western Lake Erie basin. While applications are accepted on a continuous basis, June 21 will be the cutoff date this year to be considered for funding for this program.
Lake Erie provides drinking water for 11 million people and has been designated a priority conservation area for NRCS because of increased algal blooms due to higher levels of phosphorus in the surface water. These algal blooms diminish water quality and are harmful to fish and other aquatic wildlife. Since 2008, Indiana NRCS has invested approximately $11.6 million on more than 114,000 acres in the Western Lake Erie basin to help farmers reduce the amount of phosphorus, sediment and nutrients entering the watershed.
“Conservation applied on any acre delivers an environmental benefit, but when conservation efforts target at-risk watersheds and lands, the results are even greater,” said Raynor. “In Indiana, we promote multiple conservation practices that work together as a system on the most vulnerable acres to provide the greatest benefit to water quality. This systems approach helps farmers improve their soil health and keep their nutrients and sediments on their fields instead of getting downstream.”
The portion of the Western Lake Erie Basin in Indiana includes parts of Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Noble, Steuben and Wells counties. Landowners with acreage in the following watersheds may be eligible for funding: St. Joseph-Maumee, St. Mary’s, Upper Maumee and Auglaize.
These additional dollars expand on the substantial conservation efforts already underway in the basin area. NRCS plans to work with farmers to install conservation practices such as no-till, buffers, cover crops, agricultural drainage water management systems, and nutrient and pesticide management.
“The algal blooms and water quality issues in the lake are serious and complicated,” Raynor said. “We are committed to helping farmers do their part to protect and improve water quality in Lake Erie, and this targeted funding will allow for solutions to be expanded and delivered more quickly.”
All applications for funding consideration must be received by June 21, 2019. To learn more about the Western Lake Erie Basin in Indiana, visit https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/in/programs/landscape/nrcs144p2_031032/.
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.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/in/contact/local/.
— Indiana Natural Resources Conservation Service
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