2007 Environmental Quality Incentive
Program
East Area Ground and Surface Water Conservation
Introduction:
The New Mexico Ground and Surface Conservation component of EQIP includes the
irrigated acreage in Eastern New Mexico. The source of water may be
surface or aquifer. This area includes Colfax, Curry, Guadalupe, Harding,
Lea, Mora, Quay, Roosevelt, San Miguel and Union counties. The purpose of the
GSWC to provide cost
share and incentive payments to producers with irrigated cropland that will result in a net
water reduction on each agricultural operation.
Priority Resource Concerns:
The primary resource concern identified in the GSWC Area is water
quantity on irrigated cropland. Conservation
practices identified in the ranking criteria tool will be used to address
this concern.
Funding Considerations:
All funding will be allocated to the Irrigated Cropland
acreage.
Funding will be used for cost share practices and
incentive payments. It is anticipated that applications will exceed available
funds.
Cost Docket:
The cost docket is based on decisions made at the Local
Work Group meetings in the individual offices. Each Field Office will use
the East Area cost docket.
Please refer to the links for the cost docket and
eligible practices to view the final approved practices, cost share rates and
practice component costs.
Eligible Practices:
Eligible practices are those that have a direct impact on
helping a participant to reduce, and document the reduction, of water for
irrigation.
Please refer to the links for the cost docket and
eligible practices to view the final approved practices, cost share rates and
practice component costs.
Cost Share Rates, Incentive Payments, and Caps:
Cost share rates were determined to be 50% for all
practices.
Incentive payments will be offered as follows:
-
Convert to permanent grass. Requires min. 2.0 gpm/acre
for irrigated unit. $100.00/ac.
-
Convert to dryland farming. Requires min. 3.0 gpm/acre
for irrigated unit. $50.00/ac.
-
Net Water Savings. Requires min. 4.0 gpm/acre
for irrigated unit. $8.00/ac.in.
Incentive payments will be made for three years. Net
water savings in case # 1 and 2 above will be determined by current well
production and historic usage. Acreage submitted for consideration MUST HAVE
BEEN IRRIGATED TWO OF THE LAST THREE YEARS TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR INCENTIVE
PAYMENTS. Net water savings in case # 3 will be determined by a baseline usage
of production and hours pumped versus change in crop grown and hours pumped.
TOTAL WATER SAVINGS WILL BE LIMITED TO THE CIR VALUE FOR THE CROP, OR 12 ACRE
INCHES, WHICHEVER IS LESS. WATER APPLIED TO ENROLLED ACREAGE MUST MEET CIR FOR
CROP BEING GROWN (CIR is the crop irrigation requirement for individual crops
and is found in the Irrigation Guide which is a part of the Field Office
Technical Guide in each office). The $8.00 per acre inch incentive rate was
determined by calculating the Value of Irrigation Water of the common crops
grown in the area and dividing by number of crops to determine an average.
Those figures are on file at the office of the East Area Area Conservationist.
Please refer to the links for the cost docket and
eligible practices to view the final approved practices, cost share rates and
practice component costs.
Ranking Criteria:
All Field Offices where the GSWC is available will use
the same ranking criteria. Local issues have been incorporated into the
new ranking tool.
Please refer to the ranking criteria links to view the
final approved criteria.
Timelines, Evaluation Periods:
All applications and any supporting documentation must be
submitted by November 3, 2006.
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