Agricultural Water Quality

​​​​​​​​Background

Oregon is taking a coordinated streamside-management approach to address priority water-quality concerns, and improve streams for fish and wildlife. The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) and other state agencies, local partners, and stakeholders are coordinating expertise, funding, and resources to improve water quality throughout the state. ODA’s Strategic Implementation Area (SIA) initiative was selected to implement the coordinated approach.

Agricultural Water Quality (AgWQ) Support Grant​

ODA’s Agricultural Water Quality Program was directed, through legislature, to establish a competitively awarded grant program. These grants are intended to provide capacity to support voluntary agricultural water quality work in small watersheds and to meet the goals of the Agricultural Water Quality Management Area Plans and the SIA initiative. 

Other than monitoring, these funds cannot be used for implementation of on-the-ground restoration projects. 

Grant eligibility:

Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) and Watershed Councils (WC) may submit grant applications for projects between $20,000 to $149,000.

Eligible proposal types:

ODA will award grant funds for proposals that include any or all of these proposal types:
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A. Watershed Assessments. Assess conditions on agricultural lands. Design and or complete watershed assessments that track progress toward AgWQ Program goals or to inform adaptive-management decisions as outlined in your local area plan. (These goals often overlap with conservation partner goals and can simultaneously identify future projects and meet partner's strategic plan goals.)

B. Technical Assistance Outreach and Engagement. Engage partners and landowners in workshops, tours, site visits, etc.; to address opportunities to improve AgWQ related to the applicable Area Plan (outreach around riparian health, soil health, nonpoint sources of pollution, Total Maximum Daily Loads [TMDLs], Focus Areas [FAs], SIAs, etc.).

C. Monitoring. Create monitoring plans specifically to address needs identified in the applicable Area Plans with stakeholder input to evaluate any of the following:

• Current conditions, mid-management conditions, long-term conditions; with time to share monitoring data with stakeholders and constituents.
• Provide guidance to regional partners around AgWQ SIA monitoring protocol. Create a regional or statewide monitoring protocol. Participate in statewide conversation to guide AgWQ monitoring overarching goals and decisions.
• Plans can include funding for AgWQ monitoring equipment and/or testing results.

D. Collaboration. Develop strategic plans with other local conservation partners across Management Areas to advance the goals of the Area Plans (e.g. at the scale of a Management Area or basin [four-digit HUC] collaborate with partners to develop AgWQ Monitoring plans, develop and conduct AgWQ assessments, write grants, prepare landowners in a region for an SIA, etc.).

**Other than monitoring, funds cannot be used for implementation of on-the-ground restoration projects**

Grant cycle calendar

Grant application documents

​​Forms​​

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​Co​ntact