Appendix I: RCWP BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

This appendix lists the BMPs approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for cost sharing in Rural Clean Water Program projects. Information included for each BMP includes its official RCWP number and title, a brief description of the intended purpose of the BMP, the minimum life span, and a list of applicable BMP components. The number in parentheses following each BMP component indicates the respective USDA - Soil Conservation Service conservation practice specification code.

BMP 1 Permanent Vegetative Cover

Purpose: To improve water quality by establishing permanent vegetative cover on farms or ranch land to prevent excessive runoff of water or soil loss contributing to water pollution.

Lifespan: minimum of 5 years

Components:



BMP 2 Animal Waste Management System

Purpose: To improve water quality by providing facilities for the storage and handling of livestock and poultry waste to abate pollution that may otherwise result from livestock or poultry operations.

Lifespan: minimum of 10 years

Components:



BMP 3 Stripcropping Systems

Purpose: To improve water quality by providing enduring protection to cropland causing pollution by establishment of contour or field stripcropping systems.

Lifespan: minimum of 5 years

Components:



BMP 4 Terrace System

Purpose: To improve water quality through the installation of terrace systems on farmland to prevent excessive runoff of water or soil loss contributing to water pollution.

Lifespan: minimum of 10 years

Components:



BMP 5 Diversion System

Purpose: To improve water quality by installing diversion on farm or ranchland where excess surface or subsurface water runoff contributes to a water pollution problem.

Lifespan: minimum of 10 years

Components:



BMP 6 Grazing Land ProtectionSystem

Purpose: To improve water quality through better grazing distribution and better grassland management by developing springs, seeps, wells, ponds, or dugouts and installing pipelines and storage facilities. This practice is applicable only when needed to correct an existing problem causing water pollution due to over concentration of livestock.

Lifespan: minimum of 10 years

Components:



BMP 7 Waterway System

Purpose: To improve water quality by installing a waterway to safely convey excess surface runoff water across fields at non-erosion velocities into watercourses or impoundments. The waterway is protected from erosion and reduces pollution through filtering out silt with the establishment of sod cover of perennial grasses or legumes, or both.

Lifespan: minimum of 10 years

Components:



BMP 8 Cropland Protection System

Purpose: To improve water quality by providing needed protection from severe erosion on cropland between crops or pending establishment of enduring protective vegetative cover.

Lifespan: recommended by COC and STC and approved by Administrator, ASCS, if less than 5 years

Components:



BMP 9 Conservation Tillage Systems

Purpose: Improving water quality by use of reduced tillage operations in producing a crop. The reduced tillage operations and crop residue management need to be performed annually.

Lifespan: recommended by COC and STC and approved by Administrator, ASCS, if less than 5 years

Components:



BMP 10 Stream Protection System

Purpose: To improve water quality by protecting streams from sediment or chemicals through the installation of vegetative filter strips, protective fencing, livestock crossings, livestock water facilities, or other similar measures.

Lifespan: minimum of 10 years

Components:



BMP 11 Permanent Vegetative Cover On Critical Areas

Purpose: To improve water quality by installing measures to stabilize source of sediment such as gullies, banks, privately owned roadsides, field borders, or similar problem areas contributing to water pollution.

Lifespan: minimum of 5 years

Components:



BMP 12 Sediment Retention, Erosion, or Water Control Structures

Purpose: To improve water quality through the control or erosion, including sediment and chemical runoff from a specific problem area.

Lifespan: minimum of 10 years

Components:



BMP 13 Improving An Irrigation And Or Water Management System

Purpose: To improve water quality on farmland that is currently under irrigation for which an adequate supply of suitable water is available, on which irrigation will be continued, and on farmland with a critical area or source that significantly contributes to the water quality problem by: a) installation of tailwater return systems, b) conversion to a different system to reduce pollutants, or c) reorganization of an existing system to reduce pollutants.

Lifespan: minimum of 10 years

Components:



BMP 14 Tree Planting

Purpose: To improve water quality by planting trees to treat critical areas or sources contributing to water pollution.

Lifespan: minimum of 10 years

Components:



BMP 15 Fertilizer Management

Purpose: To improve water quality through needed changes in the fertilizer rate, time, or method of application to achieve the desired degree of control of nutrient movement in critical areas contributing to water pollution.

Lifespan: recommended by COC and STC and approved by the Administrator, ASCS, if less than 5 years.

Components:



BMP 16 Pesticide Management

Purpose: To improve water quality by reducing pesticides use to a minimum and manage pests in critical areas to achieve the desired level of chemicals contributing to water pollution.

Lifespan: recommended by COC and STC and approved by the Administrator, ASCS, if less than 5 years.

Components: