WaterWired

CRS Report: 'Agricultural Conservation - A Guide to Programs' Updated: 15 August 2019

This CRS report by Megan Stubbs was published on 15 August 2019: Agricultural Conservation: A Guide to Programs.

Who knew? A lot of these ag-based programs are important to water stewardship as well as land/environmental stewardship.

Download CRS_Ag_Cons_Pgms_Guide_15Aug2019

Summary
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) currently administer over 20 programs and subprograms that are directly or indirectly available to assist producers and landowners who wish to practice conservation on agricultural lands. The number of these programs and the differences among them have created some confusion about the purpose, participation, and policies of the programs. While some effort has been made to remove duplication, a large number of programs remain. The programs discussed in this report in tabular form are as follows.

 Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP)

 Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA)

 Conservation Operations (CO); Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA)

 Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

 CRP—Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

 CRP—Farmable Wetland Program

 CRP—Grasslands

 Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)

 Emergency Conservation Program (ECP)

 Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP)

 Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP)

 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

 EQIP—Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG)

 EQIP, CIG—On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials

 Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program

 Grassroots Source Water Protection Program

 Healthy Forests Reserve Program (HFRP)

 Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)

 Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program

 Water Bank Program

 Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations

 Watershed Rehabilitation Program

This tabular presentation provides basic information covering each of the programs. In each case, a brief program description is followed by information on major amendments in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-334, 2018 farm bill), national scope and availability, states with the greatest participation, the backlog of applications and other measures of continuing interest, program funding authority, FY2019 funding, FY2020 Administration budget request, statutory authority, the authorization expiration date, and a link to the program’s website.

Enjoy!

"The supreme goodness is like water. It benefits all things without contention. In dwelling, it stays grounded. In being, it flows to depths. In expression, it is honest. In confrontation, it stays gentle. In governance, it does not control. In action, it aligns in timing. It is content with its nature and therefore cannot be faulted." - Tao Te Ching Passage #8 (thanks to Raymond Kang)

Lane Community College's Online Water Conservation Technician Program - Fall 2019 Apps Accepted

Brenda Cervantes of Lane Community College in Eugene, OR, sent me this information on LCC's new online Water Conservation Technician program. It's funded by the National Science Foundation.

Here is the blurb from the website:

The Water Conservation Technician program consists of an inspiring community of students and faculty dedicated to improving community water security and quality using ecologically sustainable practices. Through the two-year Water Conservation Technician online program, you will be prepared for the growing field of Water Conservation and the challenges a shortage of water will bring. 

The Program trains individuals to evaluate water use patterns; develop, implement, market and maintain conservation programs; perform public outreach; recommend water efficiency techniques; integrate alternative water sources, and perform systems analysis to solve problems.

As water-related issues continue to increase, more voluntary and mandatory water conservation opportunities are being created that require a technical skill set like that which is offered within this program. Employment opportunities in Water Conservation are excellent. Students must consider the Western United States when seeking employment as those willing to relocate will have greater employment opportunities. 

What's the starting pay?

• Oregon state wages range from $32,000 to $48,500  annually plus benefits. Wages will vary in other states.

Prepare for a career in the water field as water efficiency technicians, coordinators, or specialists, or as water management specialists and technicians. The program prepares students to design, implement and evaluate water conservation programs.

For more information on the two-year degree programs and training for water professionals contact Roger Ebbage, ebbager@lanecc.edu or (541) 463-6160. 

The fall term starts on 30 September 2019. Admissions close one week before that date. The program does have requirements that must be satisfied before admission so check with Roger. 

Here is a video:

Information from an alternate site - the Northwest Water and Energy Institute at LCC:

Graduates Of The Program Are Able To

• Design, implement, evaluate, and market water conservation programs to a broad audience
• Evaluate water usage patterns for rural, urban, residential, and commercial sites; recommend efficiency measures as well as alternate water sources.
• Understand water distribution, flow, and elimination systems; basic hydraulics; quality issues; balance and time of use.
• Understand the many stressors to water accessibility and how they interact to affect supply and demand along with other issues.
• Monitor, collect, interpret and analyze data to evaluate effectiveness of programs and modify them over time.
• Calculate water and cost savings and produce comprehensive cost/benefit analysis reports.

Some relevant job titles are:

• Water Conservation - Program Specialist, Manager

• Water Resource - Analyst, Specialist

• Rainwater Harvesting Tech

• Stormwater - Coordinator, Technician

• Wastewater - Manager, Stores Supervisor, Program Analyst

• Conservation Warden

• Stewardship Coordinator

Looks awfully good. Glad to see such a broad approach. Apply for Fall 2019 now!

Enjoy!

"The purpose of education is not to make men carpenters, but to make carpenters men." -- W.E.B. Du Bois

CRS In Focus Report: 'WaterSense Program - Congressional Authorization'

This CRS In Focus report (8 March 2019) was penned by Elena H. Humphreys: WaterSense Program: Congressional Authorization.

Download CRS_IF_EPA_WaterSense_8March2019

Introduction
WaterSenseis a voluntary labeling program created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to encourage the development and use of water-efficient products and services. Through WaterSense, EPA develops water efficiency specifications for products, certain services, and homes; licenses third-party certification bodies; and maintains a registry of WaterSense-labeled products and certified services.

EPA initially established WaterSense in 2006. The 115thCongress authorized and expanded WaterSense inAmerica’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (AWIA; P.L. 115-270), Section 4306 (42 U.S.C. §6294b).

WaterSense funding has garnered public and congressionalinterest as a result of the Trump Administration’s proposalsto eliminate program funding for FY2018 and FY2019. In FY2018, EPA funded WaterSense with $3.1 million fromthe agency’s discretionary appropriations. The ConsolidatedAppropriations Act, 2019 (P.L. 116-6) included FY2019 appropriations for EPA and other federal agencies: FY2019 funding for WaterSense is the same as the FY2018 enacted level, according to the conference report (H.Rept. 116-9) that accompanied P.L. 116-6. AWIA does not include an authorization of appropriations for WaterSense.

A description of the WaterSense program, authorization, and revisions follows.

 

Fix a Leak Week is 18-24 March 2019!

Enjoy!

"Any plan conceived in moderation must fail when the circumstances are set in extremes." - Klemens von Metternich (quoted in @FDRLST via @TheWeek)

Patrick Griffiths: Good Water News for the City of Bend - OWRD Conservation Award and More!

One of the first WaterWonks I met when I arrived in Oregon in 2006 was Patrick Griffiths of the City of Bend. Patrick hosted me on a visit to the water facilities and was a veritable fountain (pardon the pun) of information not only on Bend's legendary water system but also on Oregon water issues, people and idiosyncrasies. No question was too simple or vague.

Patrick and I have not communicated for a few years so it was wonderful to hear from him. He's now Water Resources Manager for the City of Bend so he was naturally proud of a recent award Bend received from the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD).

Here is the email he sent: 

So wanted to share some good news – you can decide if it is noteworthy and worthy of sharing on WaterWired or other channels.

Bend has again won Gold – tying for first with City of Ashland in OWRD's recent Conservation Awards  (news release attached):

Download 18-08AnnoucementofWinners

Much of the credit goes to budget bounce back post-recession and hiring a great Conservation Program manager and staff, but for me after 18 years of chipping away on the conservation continuum as part of my water resources responsibilities and supply portfolio, we submitted our “Top Ten Integrated Conservation Strategies” to try and show the whole iceberg of work going on to support our public facing WaterWise Program.

They (OWRD) liked it and I think responded to the comprehensive nature of what we have going on.  The 2000-2017 water production graph is a compelling look at water use too!  Clearly always more to do, but big data is getting into the water world with mostly good results!

I have also attached part of our nomination submittal for your review!  Please share out as you see fit.

Download 2018SummaryTopTen ConservationBend

In addition, we are concluding a significant Reclamation Basin Study with some interesting results for the Deschutes, and the irrigation districts are doing some of their best “system improvement plans” (SIPS) to date and chasing big federal money to modernize.  A particular frog and some federal statutes are helping prioritize them a bit…  so lots going on at the basin level too.  Add in the Oregon Legislature apparently making water a priority again as well… could be timely to talk water education!  The state and the Tribes are putting on a invite only water summit Oct 21/22 and facilitated by Jamie Damon. Perhaps you guys can score an invite? (I will raise OSU staff invites at a planning meeting later this week too).

On that note, regardless of the water summit dates, since we now have a little OSU Cascades Campus over here (and growing), I would love to invite you and perhaps your hydrogeologist partner in programmatic crime (Todd) over to sip something from one of our breweries, distilleries or wineries soon to do some informal brainstorming on some water coursework of the future! Be great to chat regardless!  If you have others over here we should pull in, let's do it!

We could throw in a  tour of our new state-of-the-art Water Filtration Facility too and inspect the raw materials of above mentioned product tasting!

Let me know your thoughts and always happy to answer questions and explain our work to date!

Cheers

pg

So good to hear from Patrick and the work he and his staff have done in Bend. I just may take him up on a visit to the other side of the mountains.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle

Lindsey Aldaco-Manner et al. Paper: 'Analysis of Four Governance Factors on Efforts of Water Governing Agencies to Increase Water Reuse in the San Antonio Region'

Lindsey Aldaco-Manner is someone I know well. I tried to get her to come to Oregon State University but she went to Texas A&M instead, where she thrived. After receiving her Master's degree and doing a bunch of other stuff at TAMU she went on to become the President of the World Youth Parliament for Water. I saw her at the 8WWF in Brasilia last March and again in June at the GWP Steering Committee meeting in Stockholm. I took the picture of her as she answered a question while addressing the GWP SC on the activities of the WYPW.

She has just published a paper based on her thesis; co-authors are her adviser Rabi Mohtar and TAMU Professor Kent Portney (click on the title to read the paper online or download the PDF below):

Analysis of Four Governance Factors on Efforts of Water Governing Agencies to Increase Water Reuse in the San Antonio Region

Download LAM_Paper_Governance

Abstract

Securing sources for water reuse and coordinating efforts of water governing agencies to do so are critical to realizing the potential of reused water to provide nearly 24% of the water demand of the San Antonio Region, defined as regions “L” and “K” by the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB). This research identifies key governance factors that contribute to increasing water reuse within the water planning sector and tests four governance-related hypotheses for their impact on efforts to increase water reuse in the Region. Variables tested include: the type and scale of water governance agency, the agency's frequency of communication with the TWDB, and the agency's familiarity with the TWDB water strategy supplies as defined in the Texas State Water Plan of 2017. A questionnaire addressing these variables was sent to water governing agencies in regions L and K; the response rate was 39.5%. Each variable was cross-tabulated with agency efforts to increase water reuse. Seven regression analysis models were calculated among the factors to test for statistical significance and impact on increasing water reuse efforts. Results indicate that nearly 70% of agencies in the regions have efforts to increase water reuse by as much as 10%. Among the tested hypotheses, frequency in communication with the TWDB was statistically significant for increasing agency efforts to reuse water. Results from these hypotheses are expected to help water managers identify key, governance-related factors that contribute to increased water reuse.

Highlights 

•Water reuse has the potential to supply 24% of needed water in the San Antonio Region.

•Low reported efforts to increase water reuse by water governing agencies.

•Fifty-eight percent of agencies do not communicate with state water planners at all.

•Greater frequency in communication with state planners increases water reuse.

Enjoy!

"Every day on Earth's another chance to get it right." - @SteveEarle in @wasingtonpost via @TheWeek