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Buffer strips like the one here will be created throught the project. Eligible farmers in entire watershed may sign-up through April 11

All eligible farmers in the 60,000-acre Grand Lake St. Marys watershed in portions of Auglaize and Mercer counties may now participate in a special Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) Demonstration Project aimed at keeping nutrients and organic material out of area water supplies.

The program originally covered a 20,000-acre project area in the Chickasaw and Barnes Creek watersheds with a sign-up period through March 14, but has been extended to April 11 to include the entire watershed.

U.S. Congressman John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) together with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced the original program in February, when they said $1 million would be made available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help improve the water quality of Ohio watersheds.

“Grand Lake St. Marys is an important resource for the region and its clean up must be a priority,” said Brown, during February’s announcement. “Along with Rep. Boehner, I am proud that these federal dollars will help local farmers reduce runoff in the watershed, providing cleaner water and thriving wildlife habitat.”

“I'm pleased that the Department of Agriculture recognized the importance of improving the water quality in Grand Lake St. Marys and chose to allocate funding for it,” Boehner said. “Conditions in the lake have deteriorated over the years, and Sen. Brown and I worked together to present the regional merits of this project to the Agriculture Department. While it will take many years to fully address the concerns surrounding Grand Lake St. Marys, this is a step in the right direction toward improving water quality.”

The bulk of the money will be used for the creation of buffer strips along creeks running into Grand Lake St. Marys and for the planting of cover crops. The government will provide incentive payments to cover a portion of the planting costs, with the rest covered by participating farmers, who must meet eligibility requirements established by the NRCS' Environmental Quality Incentive Program.

Click here to view a fact sheet describing eligibility requirements for the program.

Click here to view a map of the eligible watershed area.

For more information contact Steve McDevitt in Auglaize County at 419-738-4016 or Jim Will in Mercer County at 419-586-2548.