Field Office Technical Guide

[Stu Trefry]

Does your State Conservation Agency and/or conservation districts fund only those practices that are in the NRCS Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG) for your state?

[Louise Lawrence]

Yes, eligible BMPs for state cost share must have standards & specs approved by NRCS
However, there are a number of BMPs in FOTG that are NOT eligible for state cost share

[Cindy Lair]

While we strongly encourage districts to use the FOTG, we won’t require it if there is a practice that doesn’t have technical guidance in the guide. One area where we have relaxed a bit is for implementing practice that reuse existing raw materials. We may not always make them use new T-posts on a fence. If they already have some that are in good shape, we’ll permit it. It’s kind of case by case and we try to make common sense prevail. Of course, that can leave us open for misuse of funds!

[Jim Gillespie]

Yes for the most part. We do some livestock buildings to acceptable engineering standards.

[Mel Davis]

The selected practices for which we offer cost-share mustt meet NRCS FOG standards

[Brad Spicer]

We do not have state or district cost share programs in Louisiana. We do, however, require that practices implemented through our EPA 319 NPS program be implemented as/FOTG.

[Doug Thomas]

Yes and No. Under our traditional Cost-Share Program practice types are limited to those in our State Cost-Share Manual which is tied to the NRCS Field Office Technical Guide. Under our Clean Water Fund program eligible conservation practices can be just about anything as long as the practice is designed and signed off on by 1) an SWCD employee with the appropriate job approval authority or 2) a registered engineer.

[David Williams]

For our Agriculture Cost Share Program we generally rely on standards in the FOTG, but the State Soil and Water Conservation Commission has authority to approve its own standards if it sees the need to deviate from a particular standard.

For our Community Conservation Assistance Program (CCAP), the Commission approves all the standards, since the NRCS standards are generally not adapted for non-ag installations. Where it makes sense, we still use the NRCS standard as a starting point for the CCAP program practices (e.g., Critical Area Planting). The Commission has also set up a procedure to grant Job Approval Authority for non-ag applications.

[Bill Wilson]

For our State Cost Share Program we generally rely on the standards in the FOTG, but the State Soil and Water Districts Commission can approve its own standards if it sees the need to modify a particular requirement/standard. The Commission has adopted additional requirements/standards for a few of our 43 soil and water conservation practices. If you want more details, let me know.

[Lisa Knauf Owen]

Yes,only practices that have NRCS standards and specifications are allowed in our state cost-share program. We have one exception to that rule in our 319 water quality priority watershed cost-share program which is septic systems.

[Don Jones]

Almost all practices funded by our state cost-share programs follow NRCS standards and specifications. The exceptions being onsite wastewater systems, unpermitted and permitted above ground fuel storage tank, and unpermitted dumpsite remediation.

[Robert Toole]

Yes, our state cost share program uses the NRCS practice list.

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