Texas Coastal Irrigation Area

Objective:

Irrigation on the Coastal Prairie is primarily used to grow rice. Other uses include a variety of agronomic crops, such as grain sorghum, cotton, corn, and soybeans. Turf grass farms, pastures, and orchards are also irrigated. In some areas, there is an organized system to provide surface water to farms. The rest depend on groundwater availability. Improving the efficiency of irrigation systems conserves water.

Resource Concern:

Primary Resource Concern – Water Quantity
Water management for irrigated land- Inefficient or untimely utilization of irrigation water

Primary Area of Concern:

Eligible Practices:

• Irrigation Water Conveyance, High Pressure underground Plastic Pipeline (430DD)
  
• Irrigation Water Conveyance, Low Pressure underground Plastic Pipeline (430EE)
  
• Irrigation Land Leveling (464)
  
• Structure for Water Control (587)

All practices will be installed according to the applicable standard and specification in the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG). Structure for Water Control, 587, will be installed in a ditch or canal that meets the requirements of the standard for Irrigation Field Ditch, 388. Irrigation Field Ditch, 388, will not be cost shared as a separate practice. The practice description for Structure for Water Control will include the Irrigation Field Ditch.

Incentive Payment Levels Applicants who have maximized their points by signing up for multiple inlets (either with a pipeline or field ditch) in conjunction with land leveling will be eligible for a one time incentive payment. This incentive payment will be for Irrigation Water Management (IWM) for the crop planted after installation of the multiple inlets. This incentive payment will be $ 10.00 per acre.

Irrigation Water Management; (Acre) (449)

Cost Share Rates:

Limited Resource Farmers and Ranchers 90 percent
Beginning Farmers and Ranchers - 50 percent
All Others - 50 percent

Screening Process

The resource concern, Water Quantity, is applicable only on irrigated land that meets the irrigation history rule. ( The field has to have been irrigated two out of the last five years.)
The Application Screening Process will be completed with the person making the application. The screening process will place the application in a Category - High, - Medium and - Low. All Category - High applications will be ranked. If funds are available after approving all of these, then all of the applications in the next category will be ranked, etc. until enough applications are ranked to utilize the funds available.
If the application falls into two or more categories, then the application will be placed in the lowest identified priority category.
A field is defined as the area that is irrigated as a single management unit.

Name_______________________________________
Field Number___________ Tract Number__________
Application No.__________________ Date_________________

All conditions must apply for each category. If the application falls into two or more categories, then the application will be placed in the lowest identified priority category. Land must have been irrigated two of the last five years to be eligible.

Ranking Criteria

Name__________________________________Farm Number_______________

Track Number_______________Application Number______________________

Points will be awarded only for the situation applicable for the field or fields to be treated in this application.  If more than one situation exists, points are awarded for the lowest point situation. A field is defined as the area that is irrigated as a single management unit.

< Back to State Resource Concerns