NRCS Offers Assistance for Flood Recovery

BOISE, Idaho, April 25, 2017 – The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is making assistance available to aid flood recovery efforts in Idaho. Curtis Elke, NRCS state conservationist for Idaho, has issued a local declaration of disaster for the 33 Idaho counties not covered by President Donald Trump’s disaster declaration of April 21. Severe winter storms and melting of record snowfall has created substantial widespread flooding across the state. Flooding has caused significant damage to private property as well as public infrastructure. Flooding continues to occur and more damage is expected. The NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection Program provides assistance to sponsors in areas that have been damaged by natural disasters, such as floods. The program eliminates threats to lives and property by installing conservation measures to reduce storm water runoff and prevent soil erosion. Eligible practices include removal of sediment and debris in channels to restore hydraulic capacity; measures that prevent massive soil erosion, landslides, or excessive runoff; removal of structures and obstructions that impede or impair the floodplain; and measures to prevent damage to public and private roads, culverts, and bridges when failure of those facilities would impair the watershed. Assistance may also be available through the NRCS Conservation Technical Assistance Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). To the extent possible, NRCS personnel are visiting damaged areas and working with their local partners to identify the full scope of the damage and prepare damage survey reports for potential recovery projects. NRCS is coordinating with other state and federal agencies in order to match needs with the appropriate assistance program. Assistance from the Emergency Watershed Protection Program is delivered through local sponsors. They can be any unit of federally-recognized tribal government, state government, or subunits of the state such as counties or cities, irrigation districts, flood control districts and conservation districts. A local sponsor can request Emergency Watershed Protection Program assistance through a local NRCS field office. For more information, contact your local NRCS field office or Bruce Sandoval, EWP Program Manager for NRCS Idaho, at Bruce.Sandoval@id.usda.gov .