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<br />3. The Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (PL 566 - 83rd <br />Congress) <br /> <br />This Act authorizes a program by which USDA provides technical and <br />financial assistance to local watershed groups willing to assume responsi- <br />bility for initiating, carrying out and sharing the costs of projects for <br />upstream watershed protection, irrigation water management or flood control. <br />Technical assistance includes helping to plan and install project measures. <br /> <br />Recommendations for Implementation <br /> <br />The implementation program needed to significantly reduce salt loading <br />requires accelerated application of conservation practices pertinent to <br />salinity control and the cooperative effort of federal, state and local <br />agencies, and private organizations. To achieve full potential reduction, <br />two conditions must be satisfied. First, recommended irrigation water <br />management practices must be followed to a high degree of precision; and, <br />second, all recommended improvements in the irrigation system must be <br />installed. <br /> <br />Seven actions have been identified as being essential to a successful <br />implementation program. These are: <br /> <br />1. Authorize a level of federal funding that provides incentive for <br />voluntary and continued participation of the farm operators to achieve <br />early completion of the recommended plan to reduce salinity. <br /> <br />2. Establish a local salinity control coordinating committee and follow <br />implementation priorities established by that committee so those areas <br />contributing the highest salt load will be treated first. <br /> <br />3. Provide increased technical assistance by SCS through the Delta and <br />Shavano Soil Conservation Districts and by the ASCS county offices to <br />service the accelerated work load. <br /> <br />4. Develop a conservation plan that includes an environmental evaluation <br />for each farm. The Conservation Plan will contain conservation <br />practices consistent with priorities identified by watershed area for <br />salinity control and reflecting the owner's decisions for making <br />improvements to meet objectives of the salinity control program. <br /> <br />5. Obtain a long-term commitment from farm operators to begin an improve- <br />ment program based on individual conservation plans and to accelerate <br />that program consistent with established priorities for early completion <br />of needed improvements. <br /> <br />6. Continue the program for irrigation research to determine applicability <br />and limitations of various irrigation methods under local conditions of <br />soil, climate, crops and economics. <br /> <br />7. Initiate a program to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of onfarm <br />improvements to verify that objectives of the salinity control program <br />have been achieved. <br /> <br />5 <br /> <br />({'(SGO <br /> <br />- <br />