NEW JERSEY CONSERVATION RESERVE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM

The New Jersey Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (NJ-CREP) is designed to assist farmers in reducing nonpoint source pollution caused by agricultural water runoff sources in an effort to improve water quality in New Jersey. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture are partners in implementing NJ-CREP. Under NJ-CREP, farmers receive financial incentives from the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Farm Service Agency to voluntarily remove marginal pastureland or cropland from agricultural production and convert the land to native grasses, trees and other vegetation. The vegetation can then serve as a buffer to filter or contain agricultural runoff and to prevent polluted stormwater runoff generated by farms from reaching local water bodies. For more information about New Jersey CREP, please visit www.fsa.usda.gov/pas/publications/facts/html/crepnj04.htm

For more information about other USDA conservation programs, please visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs

For more information about New Jersey's stormwater and nonpoint source pollution programs, please visit www.njstormwater.org and www.cleanwaternj.org

Grass waterways channel rain water and prevent soil erosion, while absorbing some excess fertilizer, preventing it from reaching a nearby stream. (Photo: NRCS website)