Below are services offered by the Soil & Water Conservation District.

Funding Available for Farmers (ACSP)

Soils Information and Maps

Community Conservation Assistance Program (CCAP)

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Funding Available for Farmers 

The North Carolina Agriculture Cost Share Program (ACSP) is designed to address water quality issues on agricultural lands throughout the state.  In recent years the Chatham Soil & Water Conservation office has helped fund many projects.  Common "Best Management Practices" or BMPs for short are:

* Livestock Exclusion:  Cows or other livestock are fenced out of streams and ponds and an alternative source of water is provided.  Benefits include reduced erosion, reduced nutrients in surface water, better herd management and healthier animals.

* Waste Management:  This includes Drystacks, Composters, Incinerators, and Litter Spreaders just to name a few.  These things help store, manage, and apply the waste produced by both living and dead livestock and poultry.  Benefits include reduced nutrients in surface water, disease control from on-site mortality disposal, and efficient use of nutrient rich by-products.

* Erosion Control:  Vegetation and/or mulch is used to reduce soil erosion.  This category includes Field Borders, Grassed Waterways, Critical Area Planting, No-Till or Residue Management.    Benefits include reduced soil erosion, better soil condition, and potentially reduced fuel use.

The ACSP is a reimbursement program which means once a participant signs a contract with our office and has a design then they can begin work and once work is complete and certified then the participant is reimbursed a portion of their costs, usually it is about 75%.

If you think you have a water quality concern on your property or you would just like to discuss options for your farm, please contact our office, we are located in the Agriculture Building in Pittsboro; our number is (919) 542-8240.  

To learn more about the North Carolina Ag Cost Share Program  -  Click Here

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Soils Information and Maps

The office of Soil and Water has changed how soil maps are available.  Information which was previously in print is now available online.  The advantage of this is that people are able to access this information even if the local office is closed.  Also, soil maps and descriptions can be customized by the viewer before printing out.  These reports can also be saved electronically.

There are a few different ways to access this soils information.

1. Visit the Chatham County GIS web page
   
2. Visit the Web Soil Survey page:  Here you can customize maps, make print outs, tailor soils reports to fit your needs and save it all electronically to your computer. 
   Click here for instructions for using Web Soil Survey.
   
3. Visit the Soil Data Mart page.  This website gives detailed information and reports about different soil types.  However, it does not have a map feature like Web Soil Survey, so you will need to know what type of soil is in a location before using this site.  Click here for instructions for using Soil Data Mart.

You can download a PDF version of the survery and print it out yourself.  Just visit the Web Soil Survey site above and click on "Archived Soil Surveys" on the left side of the page, select North Carolina and then select Chatham County (2006) and Click on "Manuscript" to download the PDF file for FREE.  Or you may purchase a CD from our office with the same PDF file on it for $5.  A paper copy of the data (No maps) is also available for purchase at the office.

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This program is a new program offered through our office.  The program is set up based on the same procedures and outlines of the North Carolina Ag Cost Share Program and offers similar water quality improving practices, but on non-agricultural lands.  It is still in the very early stages so it is not as large as the Ag Cost Share Program.

If you think you have an erosion problem or other water quality concerns on your propery, please contact our office 919-542-8240.  We would be glad to discuss possible solutions and, when availalbe, pursue funding opportunities.

To learn more about the Community Conservation Assistance Program  -  Click Here

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