U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources and Conservation Service (NRCS) Stormwater management at this beach parking lot controls the quantity and quality of the rain and stormwater that runs off the parking lot in Town Neck Beach, Sandwich, MA, on October 10, 2019.
The grade of the parking lot brings water into common channels at the ends and intermediate points. It enters a cement basin/channel where the water slows over cement ridges, rocks, and sand layers. The slower cleaner water disperses into the tidal wetlands. The process helps keep debris and sand from entering the wildlife and shellfish habitat.
Stormwater Runoff Control (NRCS Conservation Practice 570) provides control of quantity and quality of runoff caused by construction operations at development sites, and by other land-disturbing activities
The purpose of this practice is to regulate the rate and amount of water runoff and sediment from development sites during and after construction operations, to minimize flooding, erosion, and sedimentation. The practice is used when there is a need to compensate for increased peak discharges and erosion resulting from construction operations at development sites or other disturbed areas needing this conservation practice. For more information about this, please see nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb1255157.pdf
NRCS has a proud history of supporting America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners. For more than 80 years, we have helped people make investments in their operations and local communities to keep working lands working, boost rural economies, increase the competitiveness of American agriculture, and improve the quality of our air, water, soil, and habitat.
As the USDA’s primary private lands conservation agency, we generate, manage, and share the data, technology, and standards that enable partners and policymakers to make decisions informed by objective, reliable science.
And through one-on-one, personalized advice, we work voluntarily with producers and communities to find the best solutions to meet their unique conservation and business goals. By doing so, we help ensure the health of our natural resources and the long-term sustainability of American agriculture.
Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) is the Department’s focal point for the nation’s farmers and ranchers and other stewards of private agricultural lands and non-industrial private forest lands. FPAC agencies implement programs designed to mitigate the significant risks of farming through crop insurance services, conservation programs, and technical assistance, and commodity, lending, and disaster programs.
The agencies and services supporting FPAC are Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and Risk Management Agency (RMA).
NRCS – NRCS - nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/national/home/
FPAC - Farm Production and Conservation - usda.gov/our-agency/about-usda/mission-areas
USDA - USDA.gov
USDA Photo by Lance Cheung. Original public domain image from Flickr