Kentucky Agriculture Water Quality Plan
What is the Kentucky Agriculture Water Quality Act?
The Kentucky General Assembly passed the Kentucky Agriculture Water Quality Act in 1994 (KRS 224.71-140).
Whom does the Agricultural Water Quality Act affect?
The Agricultural Water Quality Act requires all landowners with 10 or more acres that are being used for agriculture or silviculture operations to develop and implement a water quality plan based upon guidance from the Kentucky Agricultural Water Quality Plan (KAWQP). The KAWQP is required for SCS,
CAIP and NextGen programs.
It is the sole responsibility of each landowner to develop, implement and revise when needed, a water quality plan for their individual operations.
How are agricultural and silviculture operations defined under the Agriculture Water Quality Act?
"Agriculture operation" means any farm operation on a tract of land, including all income producing improvements and farm dwellings, together with other farm buildings and structures incident to the operation and maintenance of the farm, situated on 10 contiguous acres or more of land used for the production of livestock, livestock products, poultry, poultry products, milk, milk products or silviculture products for the growing of crops such as, but not limited to tobacco, corn, soybeans, small grains, fruits and vegetables or devoted to and meeting the requirements and qualifications for payments to agriculture programs under an agreement with the state or federal government.
"Silviculture" means generally, that part of forestry that involves growing and harvesting trees. "Kentucky's Forestry Practices Guide for water Quality Management" is the references documents for forestry operations in Kentucky designed for technical service providers and includes best management practices (BMP's) as required by the Kentucky Agriculture Water Quality Act.
What is the Kentucky Agricultural Water Quality Plan?
The Kentucky Agricultural Water Quality Plan is basically a compilation of BMP's from six different areas: silviculture, pesticides and fertilizers, farmland, crops, livestock and streams and other waters. Each BMP includes definitions and descriptions, regulatory requirements, Agricultural Water Quality Authority requirements, design information, practice maintenance, technical assistance, cost-share assistance, recommendations and references. The statewide plan serves as the guide to individual landowners/land users as they develop water quality plans for their individual operations.
What is the process for developing and implementing an individual water quality plan?
All individual landowners must develop and fully implement requirements of the Kentucky Agricultural Water Quality Plan. Technical assistance and cost-share funding is provided through local conservation district offices with assistance from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Cooperative Extension Service, and others, to landowners in developing and implementing site-specific plans. After identifying the BMP's landowners/land users implement these practices on their land. Assistance to implement the plan can be provided through local conservation district offices with assistance from the Natural Resources Conservation Service and a variety of technical agencies.
Kentucky Agricultural Water Quality Plan
The KAWQP can be obtained on-line at www.dep.gateway.ky.gov/eforms or call our office to schedule a time to complete the plan if your farm does not have one. Please be advised it is required to have a KAWQP completed and a copy on file with our office for Local, State and Federal cost share programs.
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KENTUCKY NUTRIENT
MANAGEMENT PLAN
A new component of the Kentucky Agricultural Water Quality Plan is the Nutrient Management Plan. This plan documents best management practices being followed on the farm. Nutrient Management Plans are required if your operation produces manure or applies nutrients. The account for the amount of nutrients produced or brought onto the farm, existing soil fertility, and the nutrient needs of crops grown. These nutrients must balance out without overloading soils with excess nutrients. Excess nutrients can run off and cause water quality problems in streams and rivers.
Farmers utilizing manure or fertilizer nutrients on their farm must have a nutrient management plan to comply with the Kentucky agricultural Water Quality Act. The type and complexity of the nutrient management plan is dependent on a number of factors. These factors include, but are not limited to, requirements of state or federal operating permits, NRCS requirements regarding technical or financial assistance for a manure handline operation, whether or not manures are produced on the farm, and requirements of
FSA loan applications.
Copyright 2011 Scott County Conservation District. All rights reserved. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Scott County Conservation District prohibit discrimination in their programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital or familial status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternate means for communication of program information (braille, large print audiotape etc.) should contact the USDA Office of Communications at (202) 720-5881 (voice) or (202) 720-1127 (TDD). USDA and the SCCD are equal opportunity employers.
