National Program Combines Resources to Improve Water Quality in NJ

SOMERSET — State Conservationist Carrie Lindig says NRCS will direct $700,000 made available through the 2016 Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) toward conservation projects in the South Branch Raritan River and Lockatong and Wickecheoke Creek Watersheds. These designated funds will support technical and financial assistance for operators of the 1,400 farms in the target area who apply for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program.
The New Jersey Water Supply Authority (NJWSA) partnered with the Hunterdon Land Trust and the Hunterdon County Agricultural Development Board to request RCPP funds from USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in their proposal, Raritan Basin Partners for Source Water Protection. The Raritan Basin Partners will contribute nearly $554 thousand to combine with the USDA funding to implement conservation practices and easements that benefit water quality and soil health on farms in these watersheds.
“The Regional Conservation Partnership Program expands the opportunities for local partners to address environmental goals that are most meaningful to their community by combining public and private resources,” Lindig said. These watersheds are the basic source of water supply for more than 1.5 million people in central New Jersey. “This partnership effort will enable agricultural producers to implement practices that enhance their stewardship of soil and water resources on their farms and promote the overall health of their watersheds,” she said.
Administered by USDA-NRCS, RCPP is a national competition that draws on local knowledge and networks to fuel conservation projects. The intent is to bring together partners including businesses, universities, non-profits and local and Tribal governments to make it possible to deliver innovative, landscape- and watershed-scale projects that improve water quality and quantity, wildlife habitat, soil health and other natural resource concerns on working farms, ranches and forests.
US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was at Fort Stewart in Georgia today to announce that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) together with partners across the nation will direct up to $720 million towards 84 conservation projects through 2016 RCPP. For this round, USDA received 265 applications requesting nearly $900 million, or four times the amount of available federal funding. The 84 projects selected for 2016 include proposed partner matches totaling over $500 million, more than tripling the federal investment alone. These projects make up the second round of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) created by the 2014 Farm Bill. Through the 2015 and 2016 rounds, USDA and partners are investing up to $1.5 billion in 199 strategic conservation projects.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Stop 9410, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call toll-free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD)or (866) 377-8642 (English Federal-relay) or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay).