Georgia farmers could save 40% on water improvements

Grant issued to Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission

By Diego Flammini, Farms.com

If farmers in Georgia’s Wilcox County Cedar and Folsom Creeks take initiatives to improve water quality, they should see their efforts reflected in a payout.

The Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission will receive a grant from the state’s Environmental Protection Division to try to slow down soil and water erosion and the funds could cover up to 60% of the cost to implement the water quality improvement practices.

Some of the measures covered under the plan include creating grassed waterways, watering ramps, and fencing. The GSWCC is also planning to pitch in and help improve unpaved roadways by putting plant life on shoulders and ditches, adding gravel, and hydroseeding.

“The Georgia Environmental Protection Division has identified Cedar and Folsom Creeks as high priority watersheds, and we have funds available to help farmers install improvements on their land that will reduce the amount of sediment running into these creeks,” explained GSWCC Executive Director Brent Dykes. “We appreciate the conservation efforts that landowners have made, and we hope that helping to pay the cost of these improvements will quicken efforts to improve the water quality in both of these creeks.”  

The GSWCC is also prepared to help landowners with farm assessments and nutrient management plans.