2009 EQIP

The 2009 RRWCD Supplemental Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is through the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), a program in which the water right is retired for a period in time but the land remains in production for dry land farming or grazing throughout the contract period. The 2009 program only offers funding from RRWCD for permanent retirements, however NRCS will offer payments for either a 5-year or a permanet retirement.

Application begins at the local NRCS office prior to the NRCS cut-off date. The application is then conveyed to the State NRCS office in Lakewood where it is ranked according to a point system that NRCS uses. NRCS will offer EQIP contracts to the applications with the highest points and continues down the applications until no more funding is available for that year’s program.

Upon notification that NRCS is offering the producer a contract, the producer needs to come to the RRWCD office to determine the number of acres and the amount that RRWCD will pay for that EQIP well retirement.

RRWCD requires the following documents for processing the EQIP application:

     1) Copy of the well permit,
     2) Copy of the deed for the land where the well is located,
     3) Documentation that authorizes the applicant to sign on behalf of another person or entity, if necessary
     4) Copy tentative acceptance letter from NRCS to offer an EQIP contract

After receiving offers from both NRCS and RRWCD, the producer makes a choice as whether on not to enroll his or her land in the EQIP land conversion program and retire the well. After the producer has signed a contract with the NRCS, he or she needs to bring a copy of that signed contract to RRWCD within 30 days where the producer may sign a contract with RRWCD.

The producer may defer the start time for this program up to one year from signing the NRCS contract. When the well is no longer going to be used it needs to be disabled, such as having the electric meter removed for electric wells, or removing the driveshaft for systems using internal combustion engines. Upon notification that the well has been disabled, the RRWCD staff will conduct a field inspection to very disabling the well and take photos as documentation for the files.

Once the inspection is completed, RRWCD may issue a check for the first contact payment. RRWCD funding for permanent contracts are paid in 5 equal payments in the first 5 years. All RRWCD Supplemental EQIP payments, except the first payment, are issued on July 1st of the year.

EQIP Rate

REPUBLICAN RIVER WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT

WATER ACTIVITY ENTERPRISE

2009 SUPPLEMENTAL EQIP PROGRAM

Applications may be accepted at the local NRCS offices for the 2009 fiscal year Supplemental EQIP program continuously throughout the year, obligations for fiscal contracts are determined by available funding. The land must have been irrigated two of the last five years. NRCS EQIP contracts cannot be signed subsequent to the issuance of any type of curtailment order. Upon signing a contract with NRCS, the producer has thirty days in which to sign a contract with the RRWCD in order to qualify for RRWCD funding. The land may be dryland farmed or grazed during the term of the contract.

RRWCD

Payments will be for permanent retirement contracts only.
RRWCD will be paying at the rate of $390 per acre regardless of distance from the river.
Payments will be paid 1/5^th of the total amount in each of the first five years of the contract.
Payments will be on the lesser of the number of acres allowed on the well permit, the acres assessed by the county as irrigated the previous year, and the number of acres irrigated two of the last five years according to the FSA 578 cropping records.
Wells with an existing temporary EQIP conversion contract and satisfies the two of the last five-year irrigation requirement may be enrolled in a permanent retirement program at the rate paid for permanent retirement at the time of the temporary enrollment, less that amount already paid for the temporary retirement.

NRCS

Payments will be for 5-year and permanent retirement contracts only.
For a 5-year retirement, NRCS will be paying at the rate of $225 per acre regardless of distance from the river.
For permanent retirement, NRCS will be paying at the rate of $390 per acre regardless of distance from the river.
Payments will be paid 1/3^rd of the total contract amount in each of the first three years of the contract.
Acres with a previous, or existing, temporary EQIP conversion contract and satisfies the two of the last five-year irrigation requirement may be enrolled in a permanent retirement program at the current rate paid for permanent retirement, less that amount already paid for the temporary retirement.

Total dollars per acre over the life of the contract. NRCS payments paid 1/3 of total each year of the first three years of the contract. RRWCD payments paid 1/5 of total each year in the first five years of the contract.
Retirement Type	RRWCD	NRCS	Total
5-year	0	$225	$225
Permanent	$390	$390	$780