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| Release No. 0347.98 Roger Salazar (202) 720-4623
GLICKMAN ANNOUNCES $10 MILLION JOINT NEW YORK-FEDERAL CONSERVATION PROJECT Valhalla, New York, Aug. 26, 1998--Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman today announced a $10.4 million federal-state initiative to protect New York City's drinking water. The New York Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) will reduce the risk that nutrients, sediment, and disease-causing organisms from farms enter the streams and reservoirs that supply most of the city's drinking water. "The New York CREP is a wonderful example of how cooperation between government and landowners can yield environmental benefits for millions of people," said Glickman. "This program will help guarantee safe drinking water for the people of New York, help improve a scenic part of the state, and provide wildlife habitat. It illustrates that farming, water quality and environmental protection are compatible activities." The New York project's goal is to retire 3,000 acres of highly erodible cropland and establish 2,000 acres of forest buffers protecting 165 miles of streams in the Catskill/Delaware watershed, located north of the city to the west of the Hudson River. Retiring the highly erodible cropland and planting it with protective vegetation will reduce erosion by an estimated 36,000 tons of soil per year. Forest buffers planted on the banks of streams and rivers filter runoff water and reduce the risk of pathogens entering New York City's water supply. They also provide habitat for wildlife and improve trout habitat. USDA will pay up to 70 percent of the program costs and New York City, the rest. USDA will pay rental and extra incentive payments to farmers for a 15-year agreement period. New York City will pay half the costs for planting protective vegetation, and will provide technical, educational, and engineering support. The New York City water system is one of the largest in the world serving over 9 million people. It is supplied by a surface reservoir system covering more than 1 million acres. The project will help New York City avoid construction of a water filtration plant that could be required by the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The projected cost to build such a plant would be $6-8 billion and would cost $1 million a day to operate. CREP is a new program that uses federal and state resources to help solve agriculture-related environmental problems. The CREP combines an existing federal effort, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), with state programs to provide a framework for USDA to work in partnership with states and local interests to meet state-specific environmental objectives. The New York CREP provides for voluntary agreements with farmers to convert cropland to native grasses, trees, and other vegetation, in return for rental payments and other incentives. CRP is administered by USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA). The Catskill/Delaware watershed project marks the fourth CREP agreement. The three other projects are contributing to the preservation and enhancement of the Minnesota and Illinois Rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. Farmers and landowners can get more information about this program from their local USDA Service Center, FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service office or Watershed Agricultural Council. # NOTE: USDA news releases and media advisories are available on the Internet. Access the USDA Home Page on the World Wide Web at http://www.usda.gov
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