§ 700.41 - Comprehensive USDA/EPA joint project water quality monitoring, evaluation, and analysis.

(a) Requirement. The Secretary and Administrator, EPA will jointly select a limited number of projects to be comprehensively monitored and evaluated from a list of projects recommended by the NCC. The NCC will develop criteria for selecting the project areas.

(b) Project Selection. The NCC will recommend projects for this comprehensive program. The project areas are to be representative of the agricultural and silvicultural nonpoint source pollution problems.

(c) Plan Development. After a proj-ect is selected for the comprehensive monitoring and evaluation, the SCC is to submit within 90 days, a plan for USDA-EPA review and approval. USDA and EPA will have 30 days for the plan review and approval process.

(d) Plan Requirements. In general, the comprehensive monitoring plan will address and include the following:

(1) Objective. Define the purpose and scope of the monitoring program and establish clear objectives for each activity proposed.

(2) Monitoring Strategy. Define the basic hydrological and meteorological factors within the proposed RCWP project area and identify the strategy and parameters to be used to identify the changes in water quality attributable to the installation of BMPs. Wherever possible, identify and quantify changes in land use, land use patterns and farming practices that will affect the quantity, quality or timing of nonpoint source pollutants reaching an aquatic system and detail information as to number and location of sampling stations and the frequency of sample collection.

(3) Socioeconomic Impacts. Identify the positive and negative impacts on the landowners in the project area and estimate the community or off-site benefits expected of the project if completed as planned.

(4) Institutional Aspects. Identify and clearly define the role and responsibility for each participating agency including, where appropriate fiscal and manpower commitments.

(5) Educational Aspects. Clearly define the approache(s) to be used to inform and educate individual landowners. Include procedures for periodic evaluation of this effort so the mid-course corrections can be made if needed.

(6) Quality Assurance. To insure that the data collected is usable to make National projections, a quality assurance program must be included that is consistent with that of the EPA Region within which the project is located.

(7) Data Storage. The data collected on comprehensive monitoring projects must be available to USDA and EPA RCWP user groups.

(e) Reporting. Reports for these projects are to be made at least annually to the NCC based on guidance sent to the SCC by the Administrator, FSA.

(f) Funding. Funding for the comprehensive monitoring will be provided from RCWP funds and other authorizations.