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Strategic Objective
Contribute to Clean and Abundant Water by Protecting and Enhancing Water Resources on National Forests and Working Lands
Strategic Objective
Overview
Clean and abundant water is essential for healthy ecosystems, sustainable agricultural and forest production, livable communities, and viable industry. Eighty seven percent of America's surface supply of drinking water originates on our Nation’s forests, farms, and range lands. The National Forest System alone is the source of fresh water for more than 60 million people.
USDA helps protect and enhance water quality through its work in national forests and grasslands and by supporting the efforts of private landowners and communities. Assessing water resource vulnerability nationally and investing in high impact watershed improvement projects ensures strategic use of USDA resources. USDA will also increase watershed-based partnerships with Tribes, States, communities, landowners, and other stakeholders to improve watershed management.
To restore and protect head-waters and wetlands in the national forests and grasslands, USDA will implement integrated watershed restoration. This will be based on a national assessment of watershed conditions and restoration needs established in the Watershed Condition Framework.
USDA will deliver financial and technical assistance to land owners to implement conservation measures and management strategies to benefit water quality and availability, conserve water, and improve watershed health. The Department will work with landowners to protect wetlands and implement soil health management systems that mitigate the impacts of extreme weather. Working with Federal and State partners, USDA will assist private landowners who are improving water quality to achieve regulatory certainty.
Read Less...Progress Update
ACHIEVEMENTS: In FY 2015, The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) assisted with the application of over 31 million acres of conservation practices to improve water quality. For the past four years (FY 2012 through FY 2015), NRCS embarked on the Integrated Resource Restoration (IRR) pilot program, realigning the agency’s budget structure with the goal of increasing efficiency and flexibility to perform integrated watershed protection and landscape-scale restoration.
USDA will continue to increase opportunities to collaborate across ownership boundaries and within programs, using the lessons learned to gain the benefits realized through the (Integrated Resource RestorationI) RR pilot programs.
