GENESEE COUNTY SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT Organizational Chart SWCD Special Purpose District created by local law according to state law USDA NRCS NRCS-Staff Implement programs according to Federal and District priorities Memo of Understanding SWCD-Board of Directors -Develop and approve programs -Establish positions (staff) to perform authorized duties -Establish priorities and policies -Secure funding -Enter into cooperative agreements with other agencies SWCD-Staff -Implement priorities and policies set by board -Earn income Conservation planning and technical assistance Conservation research, resource inventory and monitoring Conservation education DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTION The Genesee County Board of Supervisors created the district in 1944 to "conserve soil resources and control and prevent soil erosion." This was done according to state law known as the Soil Conservation Districts Law. A 1964 amendment to the state law added "water" and the title became the Soil and Water Conservation Districts Law. Another amendment in 1989 added language regarding water quality improvement and abatement of non-point sources of water pollution. In 1989 the Genesee County Legislature designated the district as "the local planning, management, and implementing agency responsible for 1) erosion and sediment control on potential non-point sources such as streambanks, construction sites, forestry, mined land, road banks, urban sources and agriculture; 2) stormwater runoff; 3) fertilizer and pesticide management; 4) agricultural waste.
DEPARTMENT: SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK MISSION: It is the mission of the Genesee County Soil and Water Conservation District to work directly with county landowners to provide for the conservation of soil and water resources, improvement of water quality and prevention of flood water and sediment damages, thereby protecting the natural resource base and promoting the health, safety and general welfare of the county residents. Key 2016 Accomplishments In short, the Genesee County Soil & Water Conservation District continues to provide a variety of services to county landowners and producers through conservation planning and technical assistance, conservation education and outreach, research, inventory and monitoring, as well as teaming with other county agencies and organizations. In 2016 alone, the District has secured over $370,000 of competitive state grant funding for county projects (total project costs totaling over $612,177) and are still awaiting to hear about more possible awards. This funding will be used to install a variety of best management practices to reduce erosion, improve water quality, reduce greenhouse gases, and improve soil health and sustainability. The District has continued with regular programs and also has promoted new programs and secured new sources of grant funds; these include projects funded through the new Climate Resilient Farming Program, concluding the first year of the new Water Quality Monitoring Program, continuing to work on the County s first awarded Soil Health Minigrant, and developing a new Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan Program under the Agricultural Environmental Management program to give smaller producers a plan to manage agricultural waste and the ability to apply to cost-share grant programs. Conservation planning and technical assistance: The Genesee County Soil & Water Conservation District continues to reduce nonpoint source pollutants by working with county landowners and producers on various projects throughout 2016. District staff has secured competitive cost-share funding through multiple state grants by working closely with agricultural producers to plan best management practices to reduce soil erosion and runoff, which will ultimately improve water quality. In 2016, the District secured funding through the Agricultural Nonpoint Source Abatement and Control Program (AgNPSACP), this project will capture silage leachate runoff and will install a riparian buffer along Oatka Creek to improve water quality and habitat. Other projects previously awarded through the AgNPSACP that the staff is continuing to work on in 2016 include an agricultural composting pad to improve groundwater quality, the implementation of a rotational grazing plan, and a manure composting pad to reduce the need to spread manure during poor weather conditions. All of these projects are located in the Tonawanda Creek Watershed and will improve the water quality that supplies the City of Batavia with drinking water. The District also secured funding for two projects through the Climate Resilient Farming Program (CRFP), which is a new funding opportunity offered by the State. These projects will include covering a large manure storage lagoon to reduce greenhouse gases, and to plant cover crops which will improve soil health and water quality. The District continues to make available cost-share funds through the Finger Lakes-Lake Ontario Watershed Protection Alliance (FL-LOWPA) grant program to landowners. FL-LOWPA projects currently underway in the county
include a roof runoff control system to reduce runoff from a farmstead and a surface water inlet to reduce field erosion. These projects represent $13,206 in cost-share funds through FL-LOWPA, and $2,750 in landowner responsibility. Other projects also underway in the county include a flood mitigation project in the Town of Alexander, where the District worked closely with the town to install a diversion along Peaviner Road to capture flood waters from Tonawanda Creek and to protect the roadway that often was closed due to flooding. The District is also currently focusing on Bigelow Creek Watershed, which is a high priority area for the District. This project includes providing a reimbursement rate to the select producers totaling up to $9,100 for planting cover crops this fall to improve water quality and soil health and using District staff to closely monitor the water quality in the creek using a stress stream analysis monitoring protocol. We have appropriated our 2015 performance-based award funding from the state, a total of $16,174, to this project. The District is also continuing to promote the Agricultural Environmental Management program (AEM) through public outreach and educational displays at various meetings, trainings and events, and newsletter articles. The AEM process helps agricultural producers address soil erosion, water quality and agriculture in the community while documenting their farm stewardship. The District has received $22,837 (state funding) as reimbursement for staff time involved with AEM planning During Year 11 (2015-2016). The District anticipates earning more AEM reimbursement following Year 12 (2016-2017) due to the new Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan Program just recently offered through the District to small agricultural producers. This program will give small producers an opportunity to have a plan designed at minimal cost by our newly-trained Field Manager. These plans will make small farms eligible to apply for state cost-share funding opportunities to install manure storage facilities to reduce spreading during poor weather conditions, and to better livestock production waste management. All Genesee County farming operations that partner with us by participating in AEM greatly increase our ability to identify local resource concerns and to plan remediation strategies. Once problems and the solutions come to light, Genesee Co. SWCD can apply for competitive state grant awards through the AgNPSACP and CRFP to help fund best management practice solutions. Other technical assistance that District staff had continued to offer to Genesee County landowners in 2016 includes the layout of over 100,000 feet of subsurface tile drainage thus far, filing of permits to state and federal regulatory agencies, providing landowners with strategies to improve pond habitat and water quality, providing assistance with numerous requests for soils information for Genesee County, and continuing the Fish Stocking Program, Tree & Shrub Program, and the Agricultural Plastic Container Recycling Program. Conservation Education and Outreach Programs: In 2016, the District remained very involved in the New York State Envirothon and coordinated the 26 th annual Genesee County Envirothon for local high schools. The District continued to exhibit at the Genesee County Fair, continued to distribute educational materials to the public, and attended conservation training for both staff and directors. The District employees are currently working with a forester from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to plan a Tree Seminar to be held on September 24 th, 2016, to inform the public on how to enhance conservation in their backyards. The District is also in the process of completing the County s first Soil Health Minigrant. This grant provided a financially risk-free opportunity for producers to analyze the health of their soils using the Cornell Soil Health Test, offered by Cornell University. The main component of this program will include hosting an educational seminar for the participating producers to learn the results of their soil health tests and how to improve their soil health, therefore increasing the sustainability of their soils. Finally, the District continues to partner with Orleans County Soil & Water Conservation District utilizing funds from a separate Soil Health Minigrant to establish the Western New York Soil Health Alliance. This alliance will give local producers the ability to network with each other about the importance of soil health and sustainability, and provide educational seminars explaining
the methods that can be implemented on the local level to increase soil health. Research, Inventory and Monitoring: This year the District completed the first year of the new Water Quality Monitoring Program, which included monitoring and sampling the main creeks at 11 sites across the county. The District partnered with SUNY Brockport to analyze phosphorus, nitrogen, dissolved oxygen, sediment, and the volume of water flowing in the creeks. This data, once the report is completed later this fall, will direct the District to areas of the county most in need for best management practices and to provide updated documentation in competitive grant proposals. The county-wide Water Quality Monitoring Program will continue throughout the rest of 2016 and into 2017. A second monitoring program that the District is currently completing is a stream stress analysis of Bigelow Creek to assess potential sources of nutrients, sediment, and bacteria sources in the high-priority watershed. The District is also once again partnering with Cornell University and the Genesee County Health Department this year in a follow-up study that will monitor bacteria and pesticide levels in private wells within the county. Finally, the District is continuing to participate with the Black, Oatka, Oak Orchard, and Tonawanda Creek Watershed Committees to network with other agencies that work within the same watersheds. The staff will continue to cooperate with the Black and Oatka Watershed Committees to help promote the watershed management plans to municipalities. Other County Activity: The District remains a voting member and officer for New York Green, Inc. NY Green is a nonprofit organization with a mission to facilitate informed and creative land use decisions to stimulate economic vitality and protect our natural environment. Other involvement includes the following: providing technical support to Ag and Farmland Protection Program, assist the county parks with environmental education and outreach programming, assisting the county and towns with flooding, drainage, and erosion control issues, supporting the county as a member of the Genesee County Water System Hookup Administrative Review Committee, assisting towns with pond site evaluations for private landowners as required by local zoning, and working with the town and county highway departments on use of hydro seeder for erosion control along ditches and roadsides. In recent years staff feels this has been an underutilized program for us; we plan to increase our cooperation with the highway departments this year. Other projects the staff intends to continue to promote are invasive species management projects, and projects addressing streambank stabilization.
Genesee County Soil and Water Conservation District Budget Summary for Year 2017 Proposed Actual Proposed Actual Proposed Actual Proposed Actual 1 st 6 mos. Proposed 2013 2013 2014 2014 2015 2015 2016 2017 Expense Salary/Benefits $279,067.00 $273,126.00 $282,680.00 $228,621.00 $254,943.00 $268,596 $250,729.00 $105,685 $246,398 Equipment $3,100.00 $1,206.00 $11,963.00 $22,900.00 $36,000.00 $8,887 $1,800.00 $18 $1000 Contractual $65,655.00 $72,269.00 $78,759.00 $88,729 $78,935.00 $81,063 $112,382.00 $61,528 $114,980 Total $347,822.00 $346,601.00 $373,402.00 $340,250.00 $369,878.00 $358,546 $364,911.00 $167,231 $362,378 Income Revenue 179,054.00 $223,153.00 $204,634.00 $166,473.00 $201,110.00 $212,327 $196143.00 $126,834 $193,610 Net County. Support 168,768.00 $168,768.00 $168,768.00 $168,768.00 $168,768.00 $168,768 $168,768.00 $168,768 $168,768 Total $347,822.00 $391,921.00 $373,402.00 $335,241.00 $369,878.00 $381,095 $$364,911.00 $295,602 $362,378 FTEs District 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.0 4.3 4.5 4.5 5 Federal 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Volunteer 0 4 2 2 2 1 2 1 1
BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS 1. The 2017 budget remains very similar to the 2016 spending plan (less than 1% decrease). County appropriation continues to be our largest source of income representing just over 46% of our total proposed budget. The District has struggled to meet the state (AEM) reimbursement goals for the last few years due to employee turnover; with staff promotions and a new full time hire expected in early September 2016, the AEM Year 12 reimbursement goals (13.7% of 2017 budgeted revenue) are within reach, and certainly a priority. As reported previously, our detailed proposed 2017 budget represents strictly our operating funds and does not include grant revenues that pass through the District and on to farmers/landowners for BMP implementation. 2. Grants: Current staff considers grant applications and the ability to offer cost-share assistance to Genesee Co. landowners a high priority. Three relatively new grant opportunities have arisen in the latter part of 2015, and again in 2016, which the staff has been successful in securing, over and above the annual AgNPS application process. As with the AEM program, the administration of these grants provides staff time reimbursement for the District at a state approved rate. Actively securing funding through grants greatly helps the implementation of conservation practices and also lessens the District s impact on the Genesee County budget. -The District was successful in obtaining State funding for one Genesee Co. farm through AgNPSACP Round 22. Staff continues to work on closing out Rounds 17 and 18, and provide technical assistance on three projects within Round 21. -Funding through the Finger Lakes-Lake Ontario Watershed Protection Alliance (FL-LOWPA) helps the District four fold: training for staff, purchasing supplies (office and field), water sampling analysis, and BMP implementation. FL-LOWPA funding is an Environmental Protection Fund line item in the State budget and has seen a 14% increase for SFY 15/16 over the prior year. We have received $64,800 during 2016 from closing out SFY 14/15, and securing SFY 15/16; of that money, $14,400 is for staff time reimbursement. FL-LOWPA leadership has suggested SFY 16/17 will jump another 26%; this money flows equally to 25 Districts in Central and Western NY. We hope to receive our next FL-LOWPA contract in March or April, 2017. 3. The District continues to provide support services to agriculture throughout the county. While drainage service provided to landowners is a declining part of our workload, obtaining permits and agricultural assessment assistance are on the upswing. Nominal fees are charged for these services; we predict an income of approximately $4000 from these services by the end of 2016. Both the District s Tree & Shrub Program and the Fish Stocking Program remain decent sources of revenue and are popular conservation endeavors for residents of Genesee County as well as neighboring counties. Income from these programs has been relatively constant for the past two years. 4. New York State and USDA Support: State reimbursement to Districts is proposed in the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) at a maximum of $60,000 (Part A) per District. This is a 50% reimbursement for equipment and personnel services for providing technical assistance to landowners. Last year the District submitted eligible expenses totaling $141,354 (from 2015) and was able to capture the maximum reimbursement. AEM provides potential ($50,000 maximum state reimbursement) income for personnel services in conducting free farm assessments and project planning, outreach and education, evaluation and reporting and agency/department partnership participation. Currently the Genesee County AEM Committee is made up of representatives from NRCS, Gen. Co. Cornell Cooperative Extension, Gen. Co. SWCD, Livestock & Field Crops Team, Ag. Consulting Services, Western NY Crop Management, and a local farmer. Our 2017 budget goals re-
flect an anticipated $49,500 in reimbursement for staff time which is approximately double this year s actual reimbursement. USDA-NRCS has agreed to continue to cover rent costs for the District office at the current location in the USDA Service Center at 29 Liberty Street. However, we do not have a contribution agreement beyond 9/30/2016 (the end of Federal fiscal year). Staff is committed to focusing efforts on the AEM program; technical assistance provided to NRCS will be billed as AEM time. INDICATORS 1. Last year s prediction of a decline of earned income generated by fees charged for drainage services has now become the reality. We have repurposed the focus for our technicians involved with tile drainage, and greater amounts of staff time are spent on the Agricultural Environmental Management Program (AEM). 2. For 2017, although we will not receive significant federal reimbursement, we are projecting an increase in state reimbursement income from FL-LOWPA, AEM, and the completion of several AgNPSACP contracts. 3. Recent restructuring of staff will bring budgeted employee costs (salaries and benefits) lower than they have been in many years. Personnel continues to be the biggest expense in our budget, but the younger and newer management team is not as costly as the District has seen recently, especially in light of NYS Retirement membership costs. Moving forward we will have four full time and two part time employees. 4. County support for the District is requested at $168,768. The District is increasingly successful with numerous new grant opportunities which bring significant money into the county. We continue to make efficient use of grant funding and NYS reimbursement, in addition to earned income, to support all District programs. We have undergone considerable and noteworthy staff changes over the last twelve months, but feel strongly that the District s current leadership will provide growth and focus priorities correctly within this agricultural county. We constantly attempt to provide an ever increasing level of service to farmers and other clients. We look forward to being even more relevant to our agency partners in the future with new leadership.