Enroll Your Flood-Prone Land into and Easement with NRCS

100 Percent Restoration Costs Covered Thanks to Economic Recovery Funding

WASHINGTON, March 10, 2009 – U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA - NRCS) will provide up to $145 million to eligible landowners nationwide for floodplain easements.

NRCS Alaska State Conservationist Bob Jones says eligible landowners in Alaska can sign up for these easements from March 9 – 27, 2009. NRCS may purchase easements on any floodplain lands that have been impaired within the last 12 months or that have a history of repeated flooding (i.e., flooded at least two times during the past 10 years). 

NRCS will be working with landowners who voluntarily agree to restore floodplains to a natural condition by placing their land into permanent easements. These easements will be restored into riparian corridors and wooded bottomlands to mitigate downstream flooding. The easements will also provide vital fish and wildlife habitat. NRCS will pay 100 percent of restoration costs. Landowners retain several rights to the property including quiet enjoyment, controlling public access, and recreational use such as hunting and fishing.

For more information about the emergency watershed program (EWP) floodplain easements, please visit http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/ewp/Floodplain/index.html.

For more information or to sign up your property, contact an NRCS Field Office. The Alaska NRCS office phone numbers are: Aniak (907) 675-4269, Copper Center (907) 822-4484, Delta Junction (907) 895-4241, Dillingham (907) 842-3240, Fairbanks (907) 479-3159, Homer (907) 235-8177, Juneau (907) 586-7220, Kenai (907)283-8732, Kodiak (907) 486-5598, Nome (907) 443-6096, and Wasilla (907)373-6492. Contact information for the offices in Alaska is also available at www.ak.nrcs.usda.gov/contact/fieldoffices.html, or by calling (907) 761-7760.

The funding, obtained from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, includes both technical and financial assistance to restore the easements. All funds will be spent on targeted projects that can be completed with economic stimulus monies. The goal is to have all floodplain easements acquired and restored within 12-18 months. No more than $30 million can be spent in any one state. The funds will be used to restore an estimated 60,000 acres of frequently flooded land to its natural state and create jobs. For more information about USDA funding from the Recovery Act go to the USDA Web site at http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome.

The restored floodplain will generate many public benefits, such as increased flood protection, enhanced fish and wildlife habitat, improved water quality, and a reduced need for future public disaster assistance.  Other benefits include reduced energy consumption when certain agricultural activities and practices are eliminated and increased carbon sequestration as permanent vegetative cover is re-established.

NRCS employees provide technical assistance based on sound science and suited to a customer's specific needs. Participation in NRCS programs is voluntary and non-regulatory.

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