[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 7, Volume 7]
[Revised as of January 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 7CFR700.41]

[Page 20-21]
 
                          TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
 
                            CHAPTER VII--FARM
                SERVICE AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 
             SUBCHAPTER A--AGRICULTURAL CONSERVATION PROGRAM
 
                  Subpart D--Monitoring and Evaluation
 
Sec. 700.41  Comprehensive USDA/EPA joint project water quality monitoring, evaluation, and analysis.

    (a) Requirement. The Secretary and Administrator, EPA will jointly 
select a limited number of projects to be comprehensively monitored and 
evaluated from a list of projects recommended by the NCC. The NCC will 
develop criteria for selecting the project areas.
    (b) Project Selection. The NCC will recommend projects for this 
comprehensive program. The project areas are to be representative of the 
agricultural and silvicultural nonpoint source pollution problems.
    (c) Plan Development. After a project is selected for the 
comprehensive monitoring and evaluation, the SCC is to submit within 90 
days, a plan for USDA-EPA review and approval. USDA and EPA will have 30 
days for the plan review and approval process.
    (d) Plan Requirements. In general, the comprehensive monitoring plan 
will address and include the following:
    (1) Objective. Define the purpose and scope of the monitoring 
program and establish clear objectives for each activity proposed.
    (2) Monitoring Strategy. Define the basic hydrological and 
meteorological

[[Page 21]]

factors within the proposed RCWP project area and identify the strategy 
and parameters to be used to identify the changes in water quality 
attributable to the installation of BMPs. Wherever possible, identify 
and quantify changes in land use, land use patterns and farming 
practices that will affect the quantity, quality or timing of nonpoint 
source pollutants reaching an aquatic system and detail information as 
to number and location of sampling stations and the frequency of sample 
collection.
    (3) Socioeconomic Impacts. Identify the positive and negative 
impacts on the landowners in the project area and estimate the community 
or off-site benefits expected of the project if completed as planned.
    (4) Institutional Aspects. Identify and clearly define the role and 
responsibility for each participating agency including, where 
appropriate fiscal and manpower commitments.
    (5) Educational Aspects. Clearly define the approache(s) to be used 
to inform and educate individual landowners. Include procedures for 
periodic evaluation of this effort so the mid-course corrections can be 
made if needed.
    (6) Quality Assurance. To insure that the data collected is usable 
to make National projections, a quality assurance program must be 
included that is consistent with that of the EPA Region within which the 
project is located.
    (7) Data Storage. The data collected on comprehensive monitoring 
projects must be available to USDA and EPA RCWP user groups.
    (e) Reporting. Reports for these projects are to be made at least 
annually to the NCC based on guidance sent to the SCC by the 
Administrator, FSA.
    (f) Funding. Funding for the comprehensive monitoring will be 
provided from RCWP funds and other authorizations.