Greenville County - Soil and Water

Contact Information

Contact the Greenville NRCS Field Office

Office: (864) 467-2756
Extension 108 or 115

USDA Natural Resource Convervation Service Programs

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) offers landowners incentives to conserve soil, water, and wildlife habitat. Landowners can apply to enroll highly erodible land and other environmentally sensitive areas in the CRP. By enrolling land, a landowner can receive annual rental payments and cost share benefits to implement conservation practices. Contact the local Farm Service Agency at 864-467-2755 Extension 100.

Conservation Security Program

CSP is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to promote the conservation and improvement of soil, water, air, energy, plant and animal life, and other conservation purposes on Tribal and private working lands. Working lands include cropland, grassland, prairie land, improved pasture, and range land, as well as forested land that is an incidental part of an agriculture operation. The program is available in all 50 States, the Caribbean Area and the Pacific Basin area. The program provides equitable access to benefits to all producers, regardless of size of operation, crops produced, or geographic location.

The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (2002 Farm Bill) (Pub. L. 107-171) amended the Food Security Act of 1985 to authorize the program. CSP is administered by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a new program designed to identify conservation concerns and set conservation priorities to address soil erosion, water quality, wildlife habitat and other resource issues through a community based process. EQIP is available in all 46 counties to address statewide resource concerns. Technical and financial assistance is available to assist landowners in addressing resource concerns on their property.

Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program

The Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program (FRPP) provides matching funds to help purchase development rights to keep productive farm and ranchland in agricultural uses. Working through existing programs, USDA partners with State, tribal, or local governments and non-governmental organizations to acquire conservation easements or other interests in land from landowners. USDA provides up to 50 percent of the fair market easement value.

To qualify, farmland must:

be part of a pending offer from a State, tribe, or local farmland protection program;
be privately owned;
have a conservation plan for highly erodible land;
be large enough to sustain agricultural production;
be accessible to markets for what the land produces;
have adequate infrastructure and agricultural support services;
and have surrounding parcels of land that can support long-term agricultural production.

Depending on funding availability, proposals must be submitted by the eligible entities to the appropriate NRCS State Office during the application window.

Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP)

The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) is designed to help eligible landowners restore wetlands. Under this program, landowners enter into permanent easements, 30 year easements or 10 year wetlands restoration agreements in exchange for a portion of restoration costs. The landowner maintains full control over access and use of WRP easement lands. Acceptable uses of WRP land may include such activities

Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP)

The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program provides technical and financial assistance available for landowners to develop, enhance and restore upland wildlife, wetland wildlife, threatened and endangered species, fish and other types of wildlife habitat.

In South Carolina, WHIP is specifically targeted towards developing, restoring and enhancing habitat for the following "priority species":

Bobwhite quail and associated grassland/shrub songbirds
Wintering waterfowl and shorebirds
Threatened, endangered and species of state concern

How To Stabilize Your Streambanks

A residential area in Simpsonville, SC was the site of a streambank stabilization demonstration conducted by the Greenville County Soil & Water Conservation District.

Using monies provided by an EPA 319 Grant, administered by DHEC (SC Dept. of Health & Environmental Control), and the City of Simpsonville, practices were installed in selected areas to demonstrate how land users can protect their stream banks and reduce erosion.

The USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service designed each treatment to reach the goal of demonstrating bioengineering on streambanks.

Click here for tips that will help you stabilize your stream banks.