Type of Work Authorized

EWP is designed for installation of recovery measures 

to safeguard lives and property as a result of a natural 

disaster. Threats that the EWP Program addresses are 

termed watershed impairments. These include, but are 

not limited to:

• debris-clogged stream channels,

• undermined and unstable streambanks,

• jeopardized water control structures and public 

 infrastructures,

• wind-borne debris removal, and

• damaged upland sites stripped of protective 

 vegetation by fire or drought.

The program can include purchasing floodplain 

easements. These easements restore, protect, maintain, 

and enhance the functions and values of the floodplain, 

including associated wetlands and riparian areas. They 

also conserve natural values including fish and wildlife 

habitat, water quality, flood water retention and ground 

water recharge, as well as safeguard lives and property 

from floods, drought, and the results of erosion.

EWP work is not limited to any one set of 

prescribed measures. NRCS completes a Damage 

Survey Report which provides a case-by-case 

investigation of the work necessary to repair or 

protect a site. NRCS will only provide funding 

for work that is necessary to reduce applicable 

threats. Should sponsors want to increase the level 

of protection, the sponsor will be responsible for 

paying 100 percent of the costs of the upgrade 

and additional work.

Eligibility

Public and private landowners are eligible for 

assistance, but must be represented by a project 

sponsor. 

Sponsors include legal subdivisions of the State, 

such as a city, county, general improvement district, 

conservation district, or any Native American tribe or 

tribal organization as defined in section 4 of the SelfDetermination and Education Assistance Act.

Sponsor’s Obligations

Sponsors are responsible for: 

• providing land rights to do repair work,

• securing the necessary permits, 

• furnishing the local cost share,

• accomplishing the installation of work, and

• performing any necessary operation and 

 maintenance. 

Emergency Watershed Protection Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

administers the Emergency Watershed Protection 

(EWP) Program, which responds to emergencies 

created by natural disasters. It is not necessary for 

a national emergency to be declared for an area to 

be eligible for assistance. 

The EWP Program is a recovery effort aimed at 

relieving imminent hazards to life and property 

caused by floods, fires, windstorms, and other natural 

occurrences. All projects undertaken, with the 

exception of the purchase of floodplain easements, 

must have a project sponsor. NRCS may bear up to 

75 percent of the construction cost of emergency 

measures (90 percent within limited-resource areas 

as identified by the U.S. Census data). The remaining 

costs must come from local sources and can be in 

the form of cash or in-kind services. Funding for 

the program is provided through congressional 

appropriations.
Implementing emergency 

measures to relieve imminent 

hazards to life and property 

created by natural disasters.

H e l p i n g P e o p l e H e l p t h e L a n d

www.n rc s.u sda.go v /p rog ram s /ewp

Emergency Watershed 

Protection 

EWP in Action (EWP) Program

An October 2005 storm in Cheshire County, 

New Hampshire, left this house overhanging the 

stream bank (above). All trees and vegetation 

were scoured away. Proposed action included a 

stone toe – earth fill with geotextiles to the top 

of the bank and rock bank (below).

Criteria for Assistance

All EWP work must reduce threat to 

life and property; be economically, 

environmentally, and socially defensible; 

and be sound from a technical standpoint. 

How Do I Get Assistance?

If your land has suffered severe damage 

that may qualify for the EWP Program, 

you should contact your local authorities 

and request assistance. City and county 

governments, flood and water control 

districts, and soil and water conservation 

districts are the most common sponsors 

of EWP projects. More information is 

available from NRCS offices throughout 

the United States and the Caribbean and 

Pacific Islands areas.

Contact your local USDA Service Center for more information or:

w w w.nrcs.usda.gov/pro grams/ewp

NRCS may bear up to 75 percent of the construction 

cost of emergency measures (90 percent within limitedresource areas as identified by the U.S. Census data).

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. 

 

PA-1905 January 2007