Consideration of Offsite Impacts in Targeting Soil Conservation Programs

The offsite impacts of soil erosion should be considered in targeting regions for soil conservation programs. Regions where a reduction in erosion on agricultural land would improve water quality were identified, and compared to regions targeted using onsite criteria. Differences in the regions identified indicate that failure to consider both onsite and offsite impacts may result in inefficient targeting

Conservation Programs Can Accomplish More with Less by Improving Cost-Effectiveness

Cost-effective conservation programs provide the most environmental benefit for a given budget. Designing cost-effective programs that rely on voluntary participation can be challenging. A number of design features could improve the economic performance of current conservation programs

Reducing Soil Erosion: Offsite Benefits

Soil erosion is estimated to cause over $7 billion in damages which occur off the farm (offsite) each year to water-based recreation, navigation, water storage facilities, municipal and industrial water users, water conveyance systems, and from increased flooding. Soil conservation programs which reduce erosion also reduce these offsite damages. This report is the first known attempt at estimating the national offsite benefits from soil conservation. This report examines the offsite damages from erosion at the national and regional levels, establishes a relationship between water-induced erosion and damages, and assesses the offsite benefits from reduced soil erosion

Water Quality Benefits from the Conservation Reserve Program

The Conservation Reserve Program, a land retirement program designed to remove from production 40 to 45 million acres of highly erodible cropland, may generate an estimated $3.5 to$4 billion in water quality benefits. Potential benefits include lower water treatment costs, lower sediment removal costs, less flood damage, less damage to equipment which uses water, and increased recreational fishing. Benefits were estimated with a set of procedures that approximated the physical, chemical, biological, and economic links between soil erosion and water use

Benefits from Reducing Sediment Deposition in Roadside Ditches

State and local highway departments spend portions of their budgets on roadside ditch sediment removal. Reductions in soil erosion would reduce these costs. A damage function developed using state level data indicates that reductions in soil erosion by 1983 programs would reduce state and local highway department costs by $34 million