NRCS Alabama Accepting Applications for Rainwater Recycling Project in Cullman County

Randall Weiseman Alabama, General, Industry News Release, Livestock, Poultry, USDA-NRCS

From USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Alabama:

AUBURN, Ala.– USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Alabama is accepting applications for a new Rainwater Recycling Project. Offered through NRCS’ Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the pilot project will demonstrate the benefits of rainwater harvesting. Eligible producers and landowners in Cullman County, Alabama are encouraged to apply May 25-29, 2015.

NRCS Alabama’s State Conservationist, Dr. William E. Puckett said, “It is critical that we take a proactive approach to addressing water quantity concerns. By implementing pilot programs like the Rainwater Recycling Project, we are making an effort to give producers the resources and options they need to prepare for possible water shortages in the future.”

Poultry producers, in particular, are urged to consider applying for this pilot project. In the Central and Northern parts of Alabama, water comes at a premium cost to producers. Some pay up to $10 per 1,000 gallons of water they use to run their poultry houses. The Rainwater Recycling Project offers an option for poultry producers to secure water through harvesting water during periods of heavy rain. This pilot, which is funded through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), will focus on collecting, storing and recycling rain runoff from poultry house roofs. The water can then be chemically treated and used for use in cooling cells and watering the birds.

All interested producers are encouraged to apply for the Rainwater Recycling project by May 29, 2015 at their local USDA Service Center. For more on technical and financial assistance available through conservation programs, visit www.al.nrcs.usda.gov/.