2004 Environmental Quality Incentive Program

High Plains Incentive - Ground and Surface Water for Clovis

Introduction:

The New Mexico Ground and Surface Water Special Emphasis Area includes the irrigated acreage in Eastern New Mexico that draws water from the Ogallala Aquifer.  This area includes Union, Harding, Guadalupe, Quay, Curry, Roosevelt and Lea counties.  The purpose of the Special Emphasis Area is to provide cost share and incentive payments to irrigated producers that will result in a net water savings on each agricultural operation.

Local Work Group:

The Local Work Group, (LWG) is a combination of the local work group meetings held in Clayton, Roy, Santa Rosa, Tucumcari, Clovis, Portales, and Lovington.  Reference those individual program plans for the dates and attendance records.

Priority Resource Concerns:

The primary resource concern identified in the Special Emphasis Area is water quantity on Irrigated Cropland, and soil erosion from dryland corners that causes additional water be applied to address this concern.  Conservation practices identified in the ranking criteria worksheet will be used to address this concern.

State Allocation Process:

The acreage associated with this proposal is derived from the individual field office irrigated cropland acreage submitted to the state office.  These totals were approved at the local work group meetings.  Funding allocations will be based on the acres in each field office divided by the total acreage in the special emphasis area.  This percentage will be multiplied by the total state allocation to determine the funding for each office.  Individual offices will determine how the funds will be dispersed.

Funding Considerations:

All funding will be allocated to the Irrigated Cropland acreage in the Special Emphasis Area.

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.  Rate changes are based on the documentation submitted by those offices. 

Practices to be Eligible:

The attached list of eligible practices and rates were approved by the Local Work Groups in each office.  Practices not applicable to this proposal have a zero cost share rate.

Cost Share Rates and Incentive Payments:

Cost share rates were determined to be 50% for all practices. 

Incentive payments will be offered as follows:

1. Convert to permanent grass.  Requires min. 2.0 gpm/acre for irrigated unit.      $100.00/ac.

2. Convert to dryland farming.  Requires min. 3.0 gpm/acre for irrigated unit.           50.00/ac.

3. 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.

Ranking Criteria:

Ranking Criteria worksheets will be similar to those developed by the Local Work Groups with the addition of points for the various incentive payments. The ranking criteria worksheets are self explanatory. 

Timelines, Evaluation Periods:

The dates established for the regular EQIP program will be the same for the Ground and Surface Water Program, which will be a part of the program proposal for each office covered by the Ground and Surface water program.

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