[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 7, Volume 6]
[Revised as of January 1, 2008]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 7CFR634.50]

[Page 496-497]
 
                          TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
 
   CHAPTER VI--NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF 
                               AGRICULTURE
 
PART 634_RURAL CLEAN WATER PROGRAM--Table of Contents
 
                   Subpart E_Monitoring and Evaluation
 
Sec. 634.50  Program and project monitoring and evaluation.


    (a) Comprehensive USDA/EPA joint water quality monitoring, 
evaluation, and analysis. (1) Representative RCWP project areas will be 
selected to evaluate the improvement in water quality in the project 
area and to make projections on a nationwide basis. Water-quality 
monitoring, evaluation, and analysis will be conducted to evaluate the 
overall cost and effectiveness of projects and BMPs to provide 
information on the impact of the program on improved water quality and 
for general RCWP program management.
    (2) Monitoring, evaluation, and analysis is a joint USDA/EPA 
responsibility. Subject to appropriation of funds, the Administrator, 
NRCS, and EPA are jointly to select the project areas to be monitored 
and evaluated based on a list of project areas recommended by the 
NRCWCC.
    (3) The Administrator, NRCS, and Administrator, EPA, are jointly to 
determine the criteria to be used for comprehensive water-quality 
monitoring, evaluation, and analysis in the selected project areas. A 
monitoring and evaluation plan is to be developed and agreed to by NRCS 
and EPA prior to initiating a project selected for monitoring and 
evaluation. The State water-quality agency and other Federal, State, and 
local agencies will be involved in the development of the plan for 
water-quality evaluation. The involvement of concerned agencies in

[[Page 497]]

implementing the plan will be determined at the time the plan is 
prepared.
    (4) The project areas selected for detailed analysis are to be 
representative of agricultural and silvicultural nonpoint source 
pollution problems, categories of agriculture and silvicutural nonpoint 
source pollutants, agricultural enterprises, and BMPs used in the RCWP.
    (5) Preference in the selection of project areas for comprehensive 
evaluation is to be given to those project areas for which long-term 
baseline information exists on land use, hydrologic data, and water 
quality.
    (6) Monitoring and evaluation of selected project areas is to begin 
sufficiently in advance of the installation of BMPs to document, in a 
statistically satisfactory manner, existing land-use practices and 
baseline water-quality problems.
    (7) The water quality monitoring and evaluation plan will provide 
sufficient basic information to adequately describe the land use, 
hydrologic water quality relationship. As a minimum, the plan will 
contain the following components:
    (i) Chemical and physical water quality monitoring,
    (ii) Biological monitoring,
    (iii) Appropriate hydrologic data,
    (iv) Soils properties and characteristics, topographic information,
    (v) Land use and farm inventory.
    (b) Program and project evaluation. (1) There will be a continuing 
evaluation of the Rural Clean Water Program to measure its effectiveness 
and for each project for which cost-sharing funds are provided.
    (2) Program and project evaluations will be conducted under the 
direction of the Assistant Secretary for Conservation, Research and 
Education, USDA, the Director of Economics, Policy Analysis, and Budget, 
USDA; and the Assistant Administrator for Water and Waste Management, 
EPA; or their representatives working through NRCWCC.
    (3) Evaluative reports for the program and each project area will be 
submitted annually to the Secretary of Agriculture and the 
Administrator, EPA.
    (c) Funding. (1) Research oriented activities will be from sources 
other than RCWP.
    (2) Funding for program and project monitoring and evaluation will 
be provided through RCWP and other authorizations.