USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Protecting Lives and Properties
Emergency Watershed Protection
The Emergency Watershed Protection program (EWP) provides technical and financial assistance to safeguard people and property following natural disasters. Since 1990, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has provided over $7 million of EWP funds to protect Vermont citizens and their properties in 13 of the state’s 14 counties. Examples of work that qualify for funding include clearing log jams and debris from stream channels, reshaping and protecting eroding streambanks, repairing damaged drainage facilities, levees and structures, sediment removal from waterways, and other activities.
Emergency Assistance: Q & A
When will damage assessments begin?
Attending to the safety of disaster victims is always a community’s first priority. As soon as victims are attended to, damage assessments can begin.
Who can receive EWP assistance?
Landowners who have experienced severe property damage due to natural disasters may be eligible for assistance. All projects must have a governmental sponsor, such as a city, county or conservation district. All EWP work must reduce threats to life and property, be economically and environmentally defensible and sound from an engineering standpoint. All work must represent the least expensive alternative. Applications for assistance must be submitted within 60 days of the disaster. All EWP work must have a project sponsor.
Who can become one?
The sponsor must meet the following criteria:
1. Must be a state or a legal subdivision of a state government or a local unit of government.
2. Must be able and willing to obtain needed land rights, water rights and permits.
3. Must supply the required cost-share (25%) or in-kind services for needed work.
4. Must agree to provide for the operation and maintenance of emergency measures when
completed. Local sponsors may provide their share of construction costs in the form of cash or in-kind services, such as labor or equipment. The sponsors determine priorities for assistance and coordinate with other federal and local agencies.
How does the Natural Resources Conservation Service help?
NRCS employees monitor the disaster and communicate with local resource conservation districts, county officials, and other potential sponsors about the program and its potential use. When potential projects are identified, staffs work with sponsors to prepare damage survey reports as the first step in providing EWP assistance. NRCS pays up to 75 percent of construction costs of eligible emergency treatments.
How does the EWP program protect the environment?
Interdisciplinary teams, including biologists, geologists, resource conservationists and engineers evaluate all of the impacts of the proposed measure to ensure that it is environmentally sound. An interagency approach is used when necessary to coordinate efforts with other federal and state agencies.
Who to Call
Addison County (802) 388-6748.
Bennington County (802) 442-2275.
Caledonia County (802) 748-2641.
Chittenden County (802) 879-4785.
Essex County (802) 748-2641.
Franklin County (802) 527-1296.
Grand Isle County (802) 527-1296.
Lamoille County (802) 888-4935.
Orange County (802) 828-4493.
Orleans County (802) 334-6090.
Rutland County (802) 775-8034.
Washington County (802) 828-4493.
Windham County (802) 254-9766.
Windsor County (802) 828-4493.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the USDA’s TARGET Center at 202 720-2600 (voice and TDD).
To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.