Watershed Initiatives - Impaired Impacted Streams Initiative

Quick Links

• Online FY2024 Impaired and Impacted Streams and Watershed Survey
• Survey Tutorial Videos
• Materials and Resources
• Resource Links for Survey Completion & Program Participation

History

The Impaired and Impacted Streams Initiative initially began as the Agricultural Sediment Initiative in 1999. That year, a handful of districts surveyed waters impaired by agricultural sediment on the 1998 303(d) list. Information collected through the survey process was used for an EPA 319 grant that funded several projects to address agricultural nonpoint source pollution in assessed waters.

While the Impaired and Impacted Streams Initiative (IISI) has since grown statewide, the program’s intention remains the same: to encourage Districts to survey waters with documented impaired or deteriorating water quality from agricultural activity and identify opportunities for targeted projects and Best Management Practice (BMP) installation to improve water quality. Since the 2007 Program Year, based on an Association adopted resolution, a portion of Agriculture Cost Share Program (ACSP) funds are annually directed to the Impaired and Impacted Streams Initiative (IISI) to fund projects identified through the survey process. To date, over half of districts statewide participate in the program and millions of dollars in funding have been requested to complete projects.

Upcoming Program Year

All districts interested in participating in the Impaired and Impacted Streams Initiative in the upcoming program year must complete the online FY2024 Impaired and Impacted Streams and Watershed Survey for one or more HUC-12 watersheds and the FY2024 Cost Share Programs Strategic Plan by June 1, 2023.

Submissions to both surveys will be automatically compiled into a database by the Division of Soil and Water Conservation. IISI fund requests for the upcoming program year will be provided to the Soil and Water Conservation Commission, which allocates IISI ACSP funds at the start of the fiscal year.

All districts must submit FY2024 Impaired and Impacted Streams and Watershed Surveys for HUC-12 watersheds in which IISI funds are expected to be used in the upcoming program year. Completed FY2024 survey submittals and all future completed survey submittals can remain active for five years, meaning a survey for the same watershed is not required to be re-submitted again for five years. However, survey submittals for watersheds should be re-done if there are changes in resource concerns, water quality, or expected projects.

Surveys can be completed for watersheds with impaired AND impacted streams. Impaired streams are those exceeding state water quality criteria for one or more parameters based on state approved water quality monitoring data. Segments of streams determined to be impaired are listed on the state’s biannual 303(d) list. Impacted streams are defined less precisely. Impacted streams are determined by districts and are based on local knowledge of agricultural activity, watersheds, and waterways. An ‘impacted’ determination may be based on many considerations:

• Good-Fair determinations in monitoring data,
• Exceedances found in monitoring data that are not yet statistically significant for inclusion of the stream on the 303(d) list
• Water quality classification drop between the last two NC Water Quality Integrated Reports
• Recommendations in local watershed or basin plans
• District documented resource concerns based on field observations or cooperator requests

Make sure to share reasoning and data (field observations, resource concern pictures, etc.) behind ‘impacted’ determinations in survey submittals. Review the downloadable resources, survey tutorial videos, and survey resource links for helpful materials and information.

Contact the DSWC Nonpoint Source Planning Coordinator if additional information is needed:
Allie Dinwiddie, Nonpoint Source Planning Coordinator
919-707-3795 (office) or 828-550-2104 (cell)
alexandra.dinwiddie@ncagr.gov

Thank you for your interest and work in improving the water quality in our state.

Survey Tutorial Videos

Tutorial Video #1 NEW - to help you complete water quality concerns questions

Tutorial Video #2 NEW - to help you complete resource needs and district activity questions

Materials and Resources

 The following materials were prepared to assist Districts in completing the online survey and all necessary steps to successfully request Impaired and Impacted Streams Initiative funds for the upcoming program year.

FY24 Potentially Impacted Waters Map (DSWC curated) NEW– web map available to view to help you determine streams with potentially deteriorating water quality (mapped waters received data inconclusive ratings for fecal coliform and turbidity water quality parameters for the 2022 integrated reporting cycle)

 

MS Word Document Impaired and Impacted Streams and Watershed Survey – available for download to help you prepare responses prior to completing the online form

Impaired and Impacted Streams Initiative Funding Request Process – flowchart identifying the steps to successfully participate in the IISI program

 

Impaired and Impacted Streams Initiative Program Updates – powerpoint slides from DSWC 2023 cost share trainings detailing IISI updates beginning in FY2024

 

Resource Links for Survey Completion & Program Participation

The following resource links may be necessary to review to successfully answer questions in the FY2024 Impaired and Impacted Streams and Watershed Survey.