Emergency
Watershed Protection Program 2008 Activities
Watershed Protection and
Flood Prevention Program
The purpose of the Watershed
Program, including River Basin
operations, is to assist
Federal, State, local
agencies, local government
sponsors, tribal governments,
and program participants to
protect and restore watersheds
from damage caused by erosion,
floodwater, and sediment, to
conserve and develop water and
land resources, and solve
natural resource and related
economic problems on a watershed
basis. The program provides
technical and financial
assistance to local people or
project sponsors, builds
partnerships, and requires local
and state funding contribution.
Find out more about the
Watershed Protection and Flood
Prevention Programs.
Watershed Rehabilitation
In Wisconsin, eighty-three
dams have become part of
Wisconsin’s landscape through
the PL-566 Watershed Protection
and Flood Prevention program.
More than half of these dams
need repairs that, if not
corrected, will result in
significant adverse
environmental, economic, and
social impacts. The dams were
built to protect agricultural
lands. However, human health and
safety concerns now exist
downstream of 12 dams as a
result of residential and
commercial development.
Studies are needed on an
additional 41 dams to determine
the extent to which other homes
and businesses could be in
harm’s way. Eighty-two of the
dams are between 20 and 39 years
old. Many of these dams will
reach the end of their useful
life within 15 years.
More about Watershed
Rehabilitation.
Emergency Watershed Protection
Program (EWP)
The purpose of the Emergency
Watershed Protection (EWP)
program is to undertake
emergency measures, including
the purchase of flood plain
easements, for runoff
retardation and soil erosion
prevention to safeguard lives
and property from floods,
drought, and the products of
erosion on any watershed
whenever fire, flood or any
other natural occurrence is
causing or has caused a sudden
impairment of the watershed.
It is not necessary for a
national emergency to be
declared for an area to be
eligible for assistance. Program
objective is to assist sponsors
and individuals in implementing
emergency measures to relieve
imminent hazards to life and
property created by a natural
disaster. Activities include
providing financial and
technical assistance to remove
debris
from streams, protect
destabilized streambanks,
establish cover on critically
eroding lands, repairing
conservation practices, and the
purchase of flood plain
easements. The program is
designed for installation of
recovery measures.
More information on the
Emergency Watershed Protection
Program.