The Caldwell-Travis SWCD in conjunction with the Texas State Soil & Water Conservation Board offers voluntary Water Quality Management Plans (WQMPs) to landowners with property within the Plum Creek Watershed.

The District provides technical assistance to agricultural producers for the development and implementation of (WQMPs) focusing on reducing bacteria load from livestock operations in targeted areas across the watershed. As defined by the TSSWCB, a WQMP is a "site-specific plan developed through and approved by SWCDs which includes appropriate land treatment practices, production practices, management measures, and technologies that prevent and abate agricultural and silvicultural nonpoint source pollution. The best management practices (BMPs) prescribed in a WQMP are defined in the NRCS Field Office Technical Guide. TSSWCB and NRCS have various cost-share programs which provide financial assistance to producers in implementing a WQMP.

Nonpoint source pollution is defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as pollution "caused when rainfall or snowmelt, moving over and through the ground, picks up and carries natural and human-made pollutants, depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters and ground waters." The EPA provides detailed information about the basics of NPS pollution.

Caldwell-Travis SWCD has committed to continue implementing agricultural components of the Watershed Protection Program by providing technical assistance to farmers and ranchers. The project, funded through a CWA Section 319(h) grant from TSSWCB and EPA will also continue to provide financial assistance to implement agricultural Best Management Practices.

Among the first steps is completing the Request for Water Quality Management Planning Assistance Form.

For acreage falling outside the Plum Creek Watershed, producers may request a 503 Water Quality Management Plan. With the enactment of Senate Bill 503 (73rd Regular Session - Sims / Counts) in 1993, the Texas Legislature designated the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) the lead agency in the state for the abatement, management, and prevention of nonpoint source pollution from agricultural or silvicultural sources. Additionally, the Legislature authorized the agency to administer a certified water quality management plan (WQMP) program, complete with a cost-share program to incentivize participation and offset the cost of implementing soil and water land improvement measures, for lands within the state.

Contact the office for more information.