National Water Quality Initiative

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

Through the National Water Quality Initiative, eligible producers will invest in voluntary conservation practices to help provide cleaner water for their neighbors and communities. Using funds from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, NRCS will provide financial and technical assistance to producers for implementing conservation practices such as cover crops, grassed waterways, terraces, and water and sediment control basins in watersheds with impairments where federal investments can make a difference in improving water quality.

Through the National Water Quality Initiative, Illinois is committed to improving five impaired watersheds in Lake Vermilion (Vermilion County), Lake De Revey (Vermilion County), Painter Creek (Vermilion County), Crooked Creek -Bonpas Creek (Edwards, Lawrence, Richland and Wabash Counties) and Douglas Creek (St. Clair County). NRCS will manage the initiative by making financial assistance available to farmers and forest landowners in these priority watersheds.

Application deadlines for NWQI in Vermilion County:

The application deadline for NWQI in Vermilion County is May 17, 2013. If funds allow, there will be an additional application deadline on June 21, 2013.

Funding deadlines for Douglas Creek and Crooked Creek watersheds occurred in April 2013.

Download State NWQI map  (PDF, 278kb)

Location maps of the selected watersheds

  Lake De Revey                               Painter Creek                              Lake Vermilion

 Lake De Revey NWQI (PDF, 810kb)    Painter Creek NWQI (PDF, 936kb)     Lake Vermilion NWQI (PDF, 233kb)

Douglas Creek                                                    Crooked Creek - Bonpas Creek

Download Douglas Creek map (PDF, 233kb)             Crooked Creek-Bonpas Creek map (PDF, 199kb)

For more information, contact your local USDA Service Center, or visit the USDA-NRCS National Water Quality Initiative Website.

Updated 5/3/13

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