Christian County Soil and Water Conservation District

Goals of the Finley River 319 Project

Photo courtesy watersheds.org

Photo courtesy watersheds.org

Photo courtesy watersheds.org

   Introduction

            The Finley 319 consists of two parts. They are the creation of a comprehensive Watershed Management Plan and the Nontraditional Agriculture Implementation Project. Both have specific goals independent of each other.  The descriptions below are designed to inform you of the differences between the two divisions.  Please keep in mind that although they are different in scope and design, the two parts of this project are dependant upon the other’s success. 

   Watershed Management Plan

The plan has been developed and has been submitted to the MoDNR and EPA for approval.

 Once it is approved, a link to a .pdf version will be posted at the link above.

The plan is designed to be a guideline for the improvement of water quality within the entire watershed over the long term.  It was established by a comprehensive group of stakeholders within the watershed. The goal of the watershed management plan is to provide a working document that will establish what issues should be addressed and how to address them with the entire watershed and its many members in mind.  The watershed management plan is required to be produced before any implementation of cost share practices can begin under the framework of this grant. It will consist of assessment and data collection of conditions within the watershed, development of a working evaluation plan to address targeted conditions, and evaluation requirements to document results.

   Nontraditional Agriculture Implementation Project 

Well Decommissioning has become a primary focus for implementation for 2010.  Cost share is available to plug abandoned wells. Click the above link for more information.

The project is designed to focus on landowners within the watershed that traditionally receive little or no opportunities to address issues on small acreage parcels of land.  The grant will target 3-40 acre landowners where issues such as excessive sedimentation, nutrient loading, and inadequate buffering of streams are problem areas.  Education through workshops, field days, educational presentations, county fair participation, web site development, public announcements, newsletters, and news releases will be a major focus.  Trying to educate and inform landowners through as many avenues as possible is one way to insure the success of this project.

 Another part of the project will be to implement Best Management Practices (BMP’s) on participating landowners to address the issues outlined above using a comprehensive resource management evaluation process. The BMP’s will be divided into two categories:  1) Riparian Area, Stream Bank Stabilization, Well Decommissioning, Use Exclusion, and Sinkhole Protection and 2) Target Demonstration Areas.

The goals of the project are to reduce sedimentation, reduce excessive nutrients, reduce gully erosion, reduce stream bank erosion, and increase storm water infiltration in grasslands.  With the intensive education and implementation aspects of this project, in conjunction with the comprehensive look at the entire watershed, it is believed that these goals are attainable through the practices outlined within the grant. 

Watershed Mgmt Plan • Implementation