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Watershed Protection and Flood PreventionUpdated March 26, 2009 IntroductionThe Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (PL 83-566), August 4, 1954, as amended, authorized NRCS to cooperate with States and local agencies to carry out works of improvement for soil conservation and for other purposes including flood prevention; conservation, development, utilization and disposal of water; and conservation and proper utilization of land. NRCS implements the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act through three programs:
Watershed Surveys and PlanningP.L. 83-566 provides the authority for NRCS to cooperate with other Federal, State, and local agencies in making investigations and surveys of river basins as a basis for the development of coordinated water resource programs, floodplain management studies, and flood insurance studies. NRCS also assists public sponsors to develop watershed plans to mitigate flood damages; conservation, development, utilization and disposal of water; and conservation and proper utilization of land. The focus of these plans is to identify solutions that use conservation practices, including nonstructural measures, to solve problems. More Information Watershed OperationsWatershed Operations is a voluntary program which provides assistance to sponsoring local organizations of authorized watershed projects, planned and approved under the authority of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954 (P.L. 83-566), and 11 designated watershed authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1944 (P.L. 78-534). NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to States, local governments and Tribes (project sponsors) to implement authorized watershed project plans for the purpose of watershed protection; flood mitigation; water quality improvements; soil erosion reduction; rural, municipal and industrial water supply; irrigation water management; sediment control; fish and wildlife enhancement; and wetlands and wetland function creation and restoration. There are over 1,500 active or completed watershed projects. More Information Flood Prevention Program (PL 78-534)The Flood Control Act of December 22, 1944 authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to install watershed improvement measures to reduce flood, sedimentation, and erosion damages; further the conservation, development, utilization, and disposal of water; and the conservation and proper utilization of land.More Information Watershed RehabilitationLocal communities, with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) assistance, have constructed over 11,000 dams in 47 states since 1948. More Information A Locally Led ProgramProject sponsors are provided assistance in installing planned land treatment measures when plans are approved. Surveys and investigations are made and detailed designs, specifications, and engineering cost estimates are prepared for construction of structural measures. Areas where sponsors need to obtain land rights, easements, and rights-of-way are delineated. Technical assistance is also furnished to landowners and operators to accelerate planning and application of needed conservation measures on their individual land units. There are presently over 1600 projects in operation. More Information State Watershed Web PagesThe following states have information about their watersheds available online:
Additional Program Information
Watershed Project Locations
and Status Report (2005 data) The documents below require Adobe Acrobat Reader Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act, P.L. 83-566 (PDF, 42KB)
Unfunded Federal Commitments (PDF, 19KB) Watershed Operations Historical Appropriations, 1947 - 2006 (PDF, 10KB) FY-2006 Watershed Operations Funding Requests (PDF, 8KB) FY-2006 Watershed Operations Funding Allocations (PDF, 10KB) Wildlife Benefits from Watershed Projects- Fact Sheet (PDF, 2.6MB) Watershed Benefit Fact Sheet (PDF, 3MB) Program ContactMarvin Brown, National Watershed Program Leader, 202-690-2819 |
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