Nebraska Bird Partnership

 State Conservationist Steve Chick announced that three project areas in Nebraska will receive support for farmers and ranchers to conserve water and improve water quality on farm land through the Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP), which is administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). 

NRCS will provide more than $4 million for three AWEP project areas. Farmers and ranchers with land located within the AWEP project areas have until August 6 to apply for program assistance.

AWEP is a voluntary conservation initiative that provides technical and financial assistance to help farmers and ranchers implement activities to conserve surface and ground water and improve water quality.  AWEP operates through program contracts with producers to plan and implement conservation practices in project areas established through partnership agreements.

Chick said, “NRCS is proud to work with state and local agencies to establish highly effective partnership agreements that will help protect one of Nebraska’s most precious natural resources – its water.” 

The Groundwater Quality and Supply Conservation AWEP project, through a partnership agreement with the Upper Big Blue NRD, will install conservation practices that will conserve irrigation water from groundwater sources and improve groundwater quality within the project area.  The Lower Republican AWEP project, through a partnership agreement with the Lower Republican NRD, will address water conservation resource issues in the Republican River Basin.  The Ogallala/Platte River Recovery AWEP project, through a partnership agreement with the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, will reduce water consumption in critical habitat areas by converting irrigated cropland to non-irrigated land uses along the Platte River from northeast Polk County to the Wyoming state line. 

Partner proposals were selected using a competitive process that considered several factors including emphasis for water conservation activities such as conversion of irrigated land to dryland farming and assistance to farmers and ranchers to meet regulatory requirements. Approved partners enter into multi-year agreements with NRCS to promote ground and surface water conservation or improve water quality on eligible agricultural lands in the project area.

Now that these partner agreements are in place, producers in the eligible project areas may apply to participate in AWEP at their local NRCS office through August 6.  Additional information is also available on line at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/awep/.