USDA Drainage Policy over a Century

1. USDA Drainage Policy over a Century Douglas Helms National Historian Natural Resources Conservation Service America’s Ag Water Management Summit Bloomington, Minnesota October 11, 2011

2. SWAMP LAND ACTS • Swamp Land Act for Louisiana in 1849 was first. Extended to other states including Midwest. Granted swamp lands to states who could sell them and use money for drainage and levees.

3. Drainage Districts • State laws to legality to drainage districts incorporating many private properties. Rapid growth in the early twentieth century, high agricultural and commodities prices until low prices and Great Depression slowed drainage.

5. Bureau of Agricultural Engineering and predecessors • Irrigation studies 1898 • First Drainage studies were in connecting with irrigation and discovered that irrigation projects often needed drainage to prevent accumulation of salts.

6. 1902 Moved into other aspects of drainage • 1915 Irrigation and drainage to Office of Public Roads and Rural Engineering (later Agricultural Engineering.) • Developed techniques • Research and advice no cost-sharing

8. Civilian Conservation Corps • Bureau of Agricultural Engineering supervised 46 camps on state-sponsored projects. Existing projects. But brought them back into use or improved.

15. Wetland Protection

16. Consultation with Fish and Wildlife Service • 1934 Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act to work with Federal agencies • Drainage Referral Act 1962 prohibited SCS from assisting landowners in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota to drain prairie potholes that the Secretary of Interior found to be vital for wildlife habitat.

17. Water Bank 1970 • Wetlands identified in conservation farm plan (Circular 39, Types 1 through 7) • 10-year agreement, selected migratory bird habitat, owner will not destroy wetland character • 1980 amendments added bottomland areas in Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana

18. Executive Order 11990 • May 24, 1977Protection of Wetlands

19. Comptroller General to Congress (CED-77-30, February 14, 1977) • Criticized ACP for spending majority of funds on production-oriented practices which were profitable and which farmers would pay for anyway.

20. Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies for fiscal year 1979(P.L. 95-448, 92 Stat. 1073, approved October 11, 1978), Congress made clear its intent to eliminate ACP cost-sharing for practices which are primarily production oriented.

21. Agricultural Conservation Program Drainage Policy 1979 ASCS eliminated the practices of drainage, liming of cropland, weed control and rotation seeding. About same SCS does not give technical assistance for drainage unless land is already being farmed for three years.

22. Food Security Act of 1985 • Wetland Conservation (aka) SWAMPBUSTER Subtitle C of Title XII Conservation Maintain eligibility for USDA Programs

23. No Net Loss of Wetlands • President George Bush before Ducks Unlimited in Washington, D. C. 1989

24. Wetland Reserve Program 1990 Farm Bill 11,000 landowners have enrolled over 2.3 million acres.

28. Water Management without Federal Assistance • 1991 SCS Policy Change • High Commodity Prices • Advantages of technical assistance in design for retaining nitrogen in system. • Water Management Practice in Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)