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Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP)

The Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP) is a voluntary conservation initiative that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to implement agricultural water enhancement activities on agricultural land for the purposes of conserving surface and ground water and improving water quality. As part of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), AWEP operates through program contracts with producers to plan and implement conservation practices in project areas established through partnership agreements. The Secretary of Agriculture has delegated the authority for AWEP to the Chief of NRCS.

Under AWEP, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) enters into partnership agreements with eligible entities that want to promote ground and surface water conservation or improve water quality on agricultural lands. After the Chief has announced approved AWEP project areas, eligible producers may submit a program application.

AWEP Projects
Project Status Year Awarded Partner Organization Project Description Eligible Counties
Active 2009 Tulare Irrigation District Tulare Irrigation District Enhance water supply by implementing water quality and quantity measures. More efficient irrigation systems, from high to low pressure systems Tulare County
Active 2009 Lava Beds Butte Valley & Klamath County Soil and Water Conservation District Lost River and Butte Valley Watersheds Improve irrigation efficiency and nutrient management, restore wetland habitat (60,000 acres) California and Oregon Counties
Active 2009 North Cal-Neva Resource Conservation & Development Council Improving Water Quality and Quantity in the Upper Pit River. Focus on lowering water temperature, increasing dissolved oxygen, and reducing amount of nutrients entering the Pit River Modoc County
Active 2009 Sutter County Resource Conservation District Gilsizer Slough Install 40 high efficiency irrigation systems (50% water saving); Adopt nutrient and pest management practices for 40 producers; Install 40 vegetative cover crops and filter strips, etc. Sutter County
Active 2009 California Land Stewardship Institute Northern California Wine Country Agricultural Water Conservation and Water Quality Improvement Increase the reliability of agriculture water supply; Improve stream flow and water quality; Improve water use efficiency, etc. Mendocino, Sonoma, Napa Counties
Active 2009 Coalition For Urban/ Rural Environmental Stewardship Northern San Joaquin River Water Quality Partnership Reduce sedimentation in waterways, pesticide and nutrient loading, pathogen inputs, and conserve water. Approximately 550,000 acres require treatment. Stanislaus, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin Counties
Active 2009 Alameda County Resource Conservation District Southern Alameda Creek Ranch Water Quality Project Reduction of contaminants entering Calaveras Reservoir, creeks, streams, and San Francisco Bay (64,000 acres, 25 producers) Alameda County
Active 2009 Westlands Water District Westlands Water District Increase seasonal application efficiency; Increase distribution uniformity; Decrease deep percolation; Decrease the effects of soil salinity Fresno and Kings County
Active 2009 California Association of Resource Conservation Districts Processing Tomato Irrigation Efficiency Program Improve irrigation efficiency for 30 producers on approximately 12,000 acres in a 5 year period. Colusa, Fresno, Glenn, San Joaquin, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, Sacramento, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tulare, Yolo
Active 2009 Kings River Conservation District Kings River Conservation District Improve irrigation system efficiency, micro-irrigation, tail water recovery systems Kings, Fresno, Tulare Counties
Active 2009 Hoopa Valley Public Utilities District and the Klamath Trinity Resource Conservation District Hoopa Valley Public Utilities District Upgrade open ditch transmission lines with efficient closed pipe system, install meters (monitoring, leaks) Humboldt County
Expired 2010 Central Coast Resource Conservation & Development Council Central Coast Irrigation and Nutrient Management Provide water quality through reduced runoff and leaching of nutrients, reduction of water usage. Madera County
Active 2010 Columbia Canal Company Improving Irrigation Efficiency and Protecting Groundwater Resources A four-year project to improve irrigation efficiency and protect groundwater resources Madera County
Active 2010 Colusa-Glenn Sub-watershed A Partnership to Improve Surface and Ground Water Quality and Quantity in Colusa Basin Watershed, CA A five-year project to improve surface and ground water quality and quantity in the Colusa Basin Watershed Colusa, Glenn, Yolo Counties
Active 2010 Fall River Resource Conservation District Lower Pit River Watershed Partnership A five-year project to improve water conservation and water quality Shasta, Lassen Counties
Active 2010 Honey Lake Resource Conservation District Lower Susan River Watershed Partnership A five-year project to improve surface water quality Lassen County
Active 2010 Palo Verde Resource Conservation District Eastern Riverside AWEP Project A four-year project to conserve surface water and groundwater, and enhance water quality Riverside County
Active 2010 Farm Bureau San Diego San Diego County Water Enhancement Program A five-year project to conserve and enhance agricultural water sources including groundwater, surface water, municipal water and recycled water San Diego County
Active 2010 Western Shasta Resource Conservation District Improving ACID Water Use Efficiency A four-year project to improve water management, water quality, flood damage and erosion control Shasta, Tehama Counties
Active 2010 Yolo County Resource Conservation District A Partnership Improve Water Quality and Enhance Conservation Efforts on Rangeland in the Sacramento Valley Cluster A five-year project to improve water quality and enhance conservation efforts on rangeland Yolo County
Expired 2009 Western United Dairymen Western United Dairymen Project Improve wastewater utilization systems. Reduce potential surface water runoff on 550,000 acres over a three year period. Tehema, Butte, Glenn, Tuba, Tolo, Solano, Shasta, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Fresno, Madera, Tulare, Kings, Kern, Shasta, Sutter Counties
Expired 2009 Yolo County Resource Conservation District Yolo County Increase irrigation efficiency, decrease irrigation runoff, sediment delivery, and improve ground water quality for approximately 40,000 acres Yolo County
Expired 2009 Ventura County Resource Conservation District Irrigation Efficiency Mobile - Implementation Rebates Evaluate effectiveness of irrigation systems, uniformity, pump efficiency, energy usage, etc. Ventura County
Expired 2010 Western United Dairymen Dairy Infrastructure and Retrofit Project to Promote Ground and Surface Water Conservation and Water Quality Improvement in the California Central Valley A two-year project to improve ground and surface water conservation and water quality on animal feeding operations Tehema, Butte, Glenn, Tuba, Tolo, Solano, Shasta, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Fresno, Madera, Tulare, Kings, Kern, Shasta, Sutter Counties

 

Contacts

Alan Forkey, Program Manager
Phone: 530-792-5653
Email: Alan.Forkey@ca.usda.gov

Erik Beardsley, Program Specialist
Phone: 530-792-5649
Email: Erik.Beardsley@ca.usda.gov

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