NY Soil & Wat Cons Dists L § 11-B (2021)
2021 New York Laws SWC - Soil and Water Conservation Districts Article 2 - State Soil and Water Conservation Committee, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and Other Functions 11-B - Agricultural Nonpoint Source Abatement and Control Projects.

§ 11-b. Agricultural  nonpoint  source abatement and control projects.   1.   Subject to the  availability  of  funds  appropriated  therefor,  a   matching  grant  program  is  established  to fund agricultural nonpoint   source abatement and control projects that meet the following criteria:a. the  project  must  consist  of  activities  or  plans  which  will   identify,  reduce,  abate,  control or prevent nonpoint source pollution   originating from agricultural sources;b. the project must be proposed for implementation by  a  district  or   group of districts acting jointly;c.   the  project  must  identify  agricultural  nonpoint  sources  of   pollution or propose to implement best management practices, as  defined   in section three of this chapter; andd.  the district or districts must have funds available to pay for its   share of the eligible project costs.2. Applications  for  matching  grants  shall  contain  the  following   information:a.  the  name  and  location of the water body and the nonpoint source   problem to be addressed;b. identification of the best management practices to be  implemented,   if applicable;c. a cost estimate for the proposed project;d.  the source of funds available to the district to pay for its share   of the eligible costs;e.  information  sufficient  to  demonstrate  that  the  criteria   in   subdivision one of this section have been met; andf.  such  further  information  as  may  be  required by the committee   through regulations.3. In awarding grants the committee shall  give  preference  to  those   projects located in priority water bodies identified pursuant to section   17-1407  of the environmental conservation law. The committee shall also   give preference to projects proposed to promote participation or further   the  priorities  of  the  agricultural  environmental  management  (AEM)   program  as set forth in article eleven-A of the agriculture and markets   law.4. Eligible costs that may be funded  pursuant  to  this  section  are   architectural   and  engineering  services,  plans  and  specifications,   including watershed based or  individual  agricultural  nonpoint  source   pollution  assessments,  consultant  and  legal  services,  conservation   easements  and  associated   transaction   costs   specific   to   title   thirty-three  of  article  fifteen of the environmental conservation law   and other direct expenses related to project implementation.5. State assistance payments pursuant to this section shall be up to a   maximum of seventy-five percent of the  eligible  costs,  as  determined   pursuant  to  subdivision  four  of section 17-1409 of the environmental   conservation law, for any  specified  project.  Such  maximum  shall  be   increased  by a percentage equal to the percentage of the total eligible   costs for such specified projects that are contributed by the  owner  or   operator of agricultural land upon which such specified project is being   conducted,  provided,  however, that in no event shall the total of such   state assistance payments exceed eighty-seven and  one-half  percent  of   such eligible costs for any specified project.6.  The  committee  may  adopt  rules  and  regulations  necessary  to   effectuate the purposes of this section.7. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a  concentrated  animal   feeding  operation permitted pursuant to title seven or eight of article   seventeen of the environmental conservation law shall be  treated  as  a   nonpoint  source for purposes of qualifying for funding pursuant to this   section.