Land Treatment

The purpose of this program is to assist landowners with the planning, design, and cost of installing soil and water conservation practices on their property. These soil and water conservation practices will reduce the loss of topsoil and stabilize and control small gullies that all contribute to the siltation of our streams and lakes.

Eligible practices include terrace systems with either grassed waterways or underground "tile" outlets, grassed waterways, diversion, water and sediment control basins, or the seeding of grass on cropland.

In addition to assisting the landowner with the planning and design of the practices, the NRD reimburses the landowner for a portion of the installation cost. Assistance varies from county to county across the NRD. The cost-share percentage paid by the NRD is typically 60% of the county average cost.

Grassed waterway

Process
Contact your local USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Office to determine what soil and water conservation practices are needed and the most current information concerning this cost-share program in your county.

How to apply
You local USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Office will assist you with completing your application in Butler, Cass, Lancaster, Otoe, Saunders, and Seward counties.

Upon approval
 Below are the main steps in the cost-share process once your application has been approved. These steps give you an idea what needs to be done and what to expect.
1. Review the cost-share terms (the % of cost-share paid is not automatically the same % of the actual cost/bill) and the amount of cost-share approved. Make sure the landowner, address, and social security number is correct - they will receive the cost-share payment. Also, the location showing where the work is to be done.
2. Line up a contractor to do the work. The county NRCS office can supply you with a list of land contractors but can't make recommendations. Discuss with the contractor a realistic time schedule, who will contact NRCS to layout the work. Also, make sure the contractor will contact "One Call" before any land disturbance, fees to be charged, and payment arrangements for the work
3. Contact the NRCS office to lay out the work, unless contractor will contact NRCS. The technicians typically prefer that you don't work the field prior to layout.
4. The NRCS/NRD technicians layout, survey, and design the conservation work. The work staked, designed will need your approval before the contractor starts construction. The technicians send out staking sheets to the contractor. At times the governmental technicians may not be able to keep up with all the contractors, at this point you may wish to talk to your contractor about lining up someone in the private sector to do the work. Private sector technicians may do this work with approval from the NRD and NRCS. Work needs to be done to meet governmental specifications.
5. The contractor completes the conservation work, checks out the work, and returns the staking sheets and a copy of the bill to the NRCS office. Once all the conservation work is completed, including any grass seeding, we start to complete paperwork.
6. Paperwork can take from a few weeks to a few months. Please look over all mailings closely as several forms will need to be completed, reviewed, signed and returned to NRCS. These forms could include: cost verification form, seeding sheet, cost-share agreement/payment claim, and/or private sector forms.
7. NRCS reviews and certifies the work.
8. The paperwork is sent to the LPSNRD for payment.
9. The LPSNRD reviews and certifies the paperwork and either issues a check to the landowner or forwards the claim onto the state for payment to the landowner.
10. Annually, several of the cost-share conservation projects are inspected/spot checked by the NRD personnel. The spot check includes verifying the amount of work constructed and if it is being maintained properly. The landowner may be asked to submit to the NRD proof of payment to the contractor.

Please keep in mind that your application is one of several hundred that may be approved by the LPSNRD this year. There will be a lot of other landowners also requesting the services of the contractors and the NRCS and NRD technicians and support staff. Please feel free to call our office at (402) 476-2729 if you should have any questions, we will do our best to assist you.