District Joins LMRP & Partners to Kick Off CREP Initiative

The Clermont SWCD, Clermont County Water & Sewer Dept., and Clermont County Commissioners are joining the Little Miami River Partnership, NRCS, FSA, ODNR and a host of other partners on a proposal that could attract nearly $90 million of federal funding to help protect the Little Miami River watershed. The funds would be used to put best management practices on critical agricultural lands along streams. A takeoff on the traditional Farm Bill program CRP, a CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program) can provide higher incentive payments and targets the most vulnerable agricultural lands along streams. Although these can be very productive farm lands, they are also subject to frequent flooding and excessive runoff and sediment loss, which can have a greater impact on stream quality than upland agriculture. The proposal process is very complex and could take nearly 18 months to complete. If USDA accepts the partnership’s proposal, the CREP program would be rolled out to landowners in the Little Miami River watershed shortly thereafter.