Type of Work Authorized
EWP is designed for installation of recovery measures
to safeguard lives and property as a result of a natural
disaster. Threats that the EWP Program addresses are
termed watershed impairments. These include, but are
not limited to:
• debris-clogged stream channels,
• undermined and unstable streambanks,
• jeopardized water control structures and public
infrastructures,
• wind-borne debris removal, and
• damaged upland sites stripped of protective
vegetation by fire or drought.
The program can include purchasing floodplain
easements. These easements restore, protect, maintain,
and enhance the functions and values of the floodplain,
including associated wetlands and riparian areas. They
also conserve natural values including fish and wildlife
habitat, water quality, flood water retention and ground
water recharge, as well as safeguard lives and property
from floods, drought, and the results of erosion.
EWP work is not limited to any one set of
prescribed measures. NRCS completes a Damage
Survey Report which provides a case-by-case
investigation of the work necessary to repair or
protect a site. NRCS will only provide funding
for work that is necessary to reduce applicable
threats. Should sponsors want to increase the level
of protection, the sponsor will be responsible for
paying 100 percent of the costs of the upgrade
and additional work.
Eligibility
Public and private landowners are eligible for
assistance, but must be represented by a project
sponsor.
Sponsors include legal subdivisions of the State,
such as a city, county, general improvement district,
conservation district, or any Native American tribe or
tribal organization as defined in section 4 of the Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act.
Sponsor’s Obligations
Sponsors are responsible for:
• providing land rights to do repair work,
• securing the necessary permits,
• furnishing the local cost share,
• accomplishing the installation of wor