Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District

Providing Local Solutions to Local Problems

Voluntary Water Quality Farm Plans

A Voluntary Water Quality Farm Plan is a customized, detailed guide to help you manage your land profitably while protecting natural resources.  Plans address site-specific issues through practices to conserve soil, water, and related plant and animal resources.  The purpose of a Plan is to help landowners achieve objectives as land and water users and to help them meet the water quality requirements of the Tualatin River Subbasin Agricultural Water Quality Management Area Plan.

 

The Tualatin SWCD helps develop plans at no cost to landowners.  Each landowner makes all decisions on his or her plan, implements the plan, and has complete control over the activities on their land (within local permitting guidelines).  The Plan includes a timeline for implementing Best Management Practices that address the objectives and resource concerns, and specifications or standards for those practices.   

 

Steps to develop a Voluntary Water Quality Farm Plan are:

· Identify opportunities or resource concerns

· Identify your goals and objectives

· Assess resources and problems on the property

· Develop and evaluate possible solutions to the problems

· Make your decisions

· Implement the plan

· Evaluate the plan and make adjustments as necessary

 

Benefits of a Voluntary Water Quality Farm Plan are:

• Saves money over the long term as land becomes more productive or retains productivity
• Increases property value
• Enhances open space and wildlife habitat
• Assists to meet regulatory requirements
• Improves animal health and productivity
• Contributes to plant health
• Has a positive impact on natural resource health for the entire community