NRCS Rural Clean Water Program (RCWP)

The Rural Clean Water Program (RCWP) is a USDA-EPA joint initiative that funds cost-sharing agreements with private landowners and farm operators to install best management practices (BMPs) that reduce agricultural pollution reaching streams, lakes, and groundwater. Authorized by Section 208 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. § 1288) — which requires states to develop areawide water quality management plans for nonpoint source pollution — RCWP links federal agricultural payments to state water quality planning, funding conservation work only in areas where a state or regional "208 plan" already identifies agricultural runoff as a priority water quality problem. The program is administered by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) with EPA concurrence, and implemented through 15-year grant agreements with local or state agencies that recruit participants and manage on-the-ground project delivery. Implementing regulations are at 7 CFR Part 634.

Current Rule (2026)

What This Rule Does

RCWP addresses a fundamental gap in the Clean Water Act's original framework: while the Act set standards for industrial and municipal "point source" discharges through permits, it recognized that agricultural nonpoint source pollution — fertilizers, pesticides, sediment, and livestock waste that run off fields into waterways with rainfall — could not be regulated through permit requirements. Section 208 instead called for voluntary, plan-based management.

RCWP operationalizes Section 208 for agriculture by requiring that RCWP-funded projects operate within an approved "208 agricultural section" — a state-developed water quality management plan that has already identified the specific watershed, the pollutants causing problems, and the BMP solutions that will measurably reduce pollution. This requirement means RCWP funds go only where there is documented water quality need and a planned technical solution, rather than simply wherever landowners apply.

The program works through a two-tier structure: NRCS signs a grant agreement with a local or state administering agency (typically a conservation district or state agency) that will run the project; that agency then contracts directly with individual landowners and operators for 5–10 years. Landowners agree to install specific BMPs — terraces, grassed waterways, nutrient management plans, livestock exclusion fencing, wetland restorations — within their water quality plan. USDA pays a cost-share rate for each practice; landowners cover the remainder and maintain the installed practices for the life of the contract.

A critical threshold governs project approval: at least 75% of the "critical area" — the land most directly contributing to the water quality problem — must be committed to participation before NRCS approves the project. This threshold ensures that isolated participation won't produce measurable water quality improvement. If participation drops and water quality is not improving, NRCS can suspend or terminate the project grant.

Key Provisions

• § 634.1 — Purpose: USDA (with EPA concurrence) funds and provides technical assistance to private landowners in rural areas to reduce agricultural nonpoint source pollution and meet water quality standards in the most cost-effective way
• § 634.3 — Administration: NRCS Administrator has primary responsibility, with USDA agencies (FSA, Extension) providing support; EPA reviews and approves 208 plans, sits on coordinating committees, and monitors selected projects
• § 634.5 — Definitions: "adequate level of participation" means participants controlling 75% of the critical area have enrolled; "best management practices" (BMPs) are the conservation measures specified in the approved 208 water quality plan; "project area" is the geographic area where BMPs must be installed to achieve water quality goals
• § 634.12 — Eligible project areas: must fall within an approved agricultural section of a 208 water quality management plan; must have documented farm-related water pollution problems; Governor submits ranked project applications to NRCS
• § 634.13 — Project applications: state coordinating committees (SRCWCC) manage the application process; Governor ranks projects and submits to NRCS Administrator, who reviews with the National RCWP Coordinating Committee (NRCWCC)
• § 634.15 — Agreements: NRCS State Conservationist signs a grant agreement with the administering agency; the agreement specifies project boundaries, BMPs, cost-share rates, milestones, and reporting requirements
• § 634.19 — Project completion: maximum project life is 15 years; contracting period may extend if participation goals are met and water quality is improving; all financial obligations must be settled within 3 years of project completion
• § 634.20 — Eligible land: must be privately owned; publicly traded corporations must document that BMPs are necessary to achieve water quality goals (not just incidentally beneficial); ineligible if any other federal conservation program already cost-shares the same practice
• § 634.21 — Eligible participants: landowners or operators whose land or farming activities in the project area are contributing to the documented water quality problem and who have or will develop an approved water quality plan
• § 634.23 — Water quality plan: each participant must develop a water quality plan specifying the BMPs they will install; the plan must conform to the approved 208 plan's BMP list; the district conservationist or designee assists with plan development
• § 634.24 — Cost sharing: the Secretary determines appropriate cost-share rates; the value of the landowner's own labor may count as part of the cost; RCWP cost-share cannot duplicate other federal conservation program payments for the same practice
• § 634.25 — Contracts: 5–10 year contracts; anyone who shares control of the land (tenant, co-owner) must also sign; transfers of land require new contract assignments
• § 634.29 — Violations: knowingly or carelessly damaging installed BMPs, converting land use to undermine the program's purpose, filing false claims, or misusing program funds triggers contract violation proceedings; refund of cost-share payments plus interest and penalties may result
• § 634.50 — Monitoring and evaluation: USDA and EPA jointly monitor representative RCWP projects to evaluate whether water quality is actually improving as a result of BMP installation; selected watershed monitoring sites provide data on pollutant load reductions

How It Affects You

If you're a farmer or landowner in an RCWP project area: RCWP can offset a significant portion of the cost to install conservation practices that you may already need for water quality compliance or that improve on-farm productivity (terraces, grassed waterways, wetlands, or nutrient management). The key entry point is your local NRCS office or soil and water conservation district — they can tell you whether your land is in an active RCWP project area and which BMPs are eligible for cost-share. The 5–10 year contract requires you to maintain the installed practices and not convert the enrolled acres to uses that undermine the water quality goals; violation triggers repayment of cost-share plus interest. RCWP cost-share cannot duplicate payments from other federal programs (EQIP, CSP) for the same practice — your conservation district can help you understand which programs are stacking-eligible and which are not.

If you're a conservation district or state water quality agency: RCWP project grants flow to local or state agencies that become the "administering agency" responsible for recruiting participants, providing technical assistance, and managing cost-share payments. The role requires financial management capacity under federal rules (Treasury letter-of-credit or advance/reimbursement system) and the ability to support landowners in developing individual water quality plans. The 75% participation threshold is the critical milestone — projects that cannot achieve it will not be approved, and approved projects that lose participation may be suspended. Joint EPA-NRCS monitoring of representative projects provides data that can demonstrate the program's effectiveness to state legislatures and federal appropriators.

If you're a water utility or watershed manager concerned about agricultural runoff: RCWP's targeting of projects within approved 208 water quality management plans means the program works only where states have formally documented that agricultural nonpoint source pollution is impairing beneficial uses. If your watershed has documented impairment from agriculture but lacks an approved 208 plan, getting that plan developed and approved is the prerequisite to accessing RCWP funding. The 208 planning process involves state water quality agencies and EPA — the state's Clean Water Act Section 303(d) impaired waters list and the associated Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) analysis are typically the evidentiary foundation for a 208 plan that would qualify a watershed for RCWP consideration.

Statutory Authority

This rule implements:

• 33 U.S.C. § 1288 — Section 208 of the Clean Water Act: requires states to develop and implement areawide waste treatment management plans for nonpoint source pollution in areas with substantial water quality problems; authorizes federal grants to state and local agencies to develop and carry out 208 plans; RCWP is the agricultural program within the 208 framework, linking BMP cost-share payments to approved 208 agricultural management sections

Recent Rulemakings

60 FR 67316 (December 27, 1995) — The most recent Federal Register citation for 7 CFR Part 634. The RCWP rules have been relatively stable since the program's establishment; no major amendments are noted since 1995. The program predates the current EQIP framework (which consolidated several conservation programs in the 1996 Farm Bill) and continues to operate as a distinct authority for 208-plan-linked water quality projects.

Recent Developments

• RCWP as a legacy program: The Rural Clean Water Program was established in the 1970s and has not received new appropriations since the 1980s, when EQIP's predecessor programs consolidated most USDA conservation cost-sharing. The remaining RCWP projects represent legacy contracts from the original program period that are still being administered through completion. No new RCWP contracts can be issued without new Congressional authorization and appropriation.
• 208 planning in the current regulatory environment: Section 208 areawide water quality management plans — the regulatory hook for RCWP — remain legally operative under the Clean Water Act, but EPA's current Clean Water Act implementation has shifted toward TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) planning, stormwater permit programs (MS4), and agricultural conservation requirements under USDA programs. The direct 208-RCWP connection has been superseded by these later frameworks as the primary agricultural nonpoint source mechanism.
• EQIP and watershed water quality connections: USDA's Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) now serves as the primary mechanism for funding on-farm conservation practices that address water quality — the same policy goal RCWP served. EQIP's targeting of high-priority watersheds (including National Water Quality Initiative watersheds) provides a functional continuation of RCWP's approach through a better-funded and more flexible program.
• Climate-smart agriculture and water quality co-benefits: USDA's climate-smart agriculture initiatives (funded partly through IRA) include water quality co-benefits as part of their targeting criteria. Conservation practices that reduce agricultural runoff contribute to both greenhouse gas reduction and water quality goals — the same policy combination that motivated RCWP's original design. These programs operate under EQIP and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program rather than RCWP's older framework.
• IRA conservation funding freeze and NRCS uncertainty (2025): The Inflation Reduction Act (2022) directed approximately $19.5 billion in new conservation funding to NRCS programs through 2031, including EQIP and RCPP. The Trump administration froze or slowed disbursement of IRA conservation funds in early 2025, consistent with its broader review of IRA spending. USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins subsequently resumed some IRA conservation funding but the pace of new contract approvals has been slower than under the Biden administration. Farmers who applied for EQIP cost-sharing under the IRA-enhanced funding pipeline may face longer approval timelines in 2025-2026. The IRA conservation funding's fate in the OBBBA reconciliation bill remains a live legislative question — some proposals would redirect or eliminate unobligated IRA conservation funds.

Pending Action

No new RCWP appropriations or rulemaking is pending. RCWP exists as a legacy program completing existing contracts; its policy function has been fully absorbed by EQIP, the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), and the National Water Quality Initiative. Agricultural producers interested in cost-sharing for water quality conservation practices should pursue EQIP applications through their local NRCS field office rather than seeking RCWP funding, which is not available for new projects. The IRA-funded conservation programs (through 2031) have substantially increased EQIP funding available for water quality practices — producers in priority watersheds designated under the National Water Quality Initiative may receive higher ranking scores for EQIP applications targeting nonpoint source water quality improvements.