NRCS Practice Standard: Diversion (362)

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NRCS Practice Standard: Diversion (362)

About the Company:

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s primary private lands conservation agency. The NRCS helps producers protect and conserve natural resources on private lands through voluntary conservation programs. Through Practice Standards and technical guides, the NRCS provides information about the conservation, energy resources, and provides personalized advice to individual producers.

The NRCS’ Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides technical and financial assistance to producers as they implement NRCS Conservation Practice Standards.

Technical guides used in each field office are localized so that they apply specifically to the geographic area for which they are prepared. Thus, while national guidelines have been provided as a framework for each standard, each state has adopted and modified the conservation practice standards to suit their individual landscape.

To find a local NRCS Service center click here.

To find the specific guideline for each state click here.

About the Solution:

Diversion (Code 362)

A channel constructed to divert excess water, usually across a slope and with a supporting ridge on the lower side.

Practice Information

The primary purpose of a diversion is to direct excess water in a new direction for use or safe disposal. Uses include interception of concentrated water that is flowing down long slopes; collection of water for storage; diversion of water away from gullies, farmsteads, or animal waste systems; and supplementing water management on conservation cropping systems.

The design criteria for a diversion depend on its purpose. Diversions that divert water away from buildings, roads, or animal waste systems will be larger than ones used to protect agricultural land.

A diversion can be parabolic, V-shaped, or trapezoidal in cross section. The ridge located on the downhill side will typically be about 3 feet wide at the top and will have stable side slopes. The channel and ridge will be vegetated in most cases. If needed for erosion protection, the channel may be lined with gravel, concrete, or similar material.

The diversion must outlet into a stable channel such as a grassed waterway, a lined waterway, a grade stabilization structure, an underground outlet, or a stable watercourse. The location of a diversion is determined by outlet conditions, topography, land use, farming operations, and soil type.

Maintenance requirements include regular inspections, removal of sediment, repair and revegetation of eroded areas and outlets, and regrading the diversion to maintain the planned capacity.

Common Associated Practices

NRCS Conservation Practice Standard (CPS) Diversion (Code 362) is commonly applied with other conservation practices such as:

  • Grassed Waterway (Code 412)
  • Terrace (Code 600)
  • Waste Storage Facility (Code 313)
  • Underground Outlet (Code 620)


  • To view the national NRCS standard for Diversion please click here.

    Natural Resources Conservation Service, US Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, DC United States 1-833-ONE-USDA Visit Company Website

    Solution Type

    • General Support and Other

    Vendor

    • Others

    Product

    • Other

    Problem

    • Storage

    To view additional information about this vendor, click below.

    Solution Strengths, Weaknesses and Critical Indicators

    NOTE: There are multiple technologies that are used as part of integrated manure management systems and yet are not manure management types on their own. The impact of these technologies on their own would be minimal or very difficult to quantify.

    General Support & Other:

    • Can be an integral part of many manure management systems
    • Most projects have at least some equipment that supports operations of the main technology
    • This technology is not evaluated on its own, the NEAT Matrix for this technology is neutral unless utilized with other technologies.

    Newtrient Comments/Opinions:

    Newtrient is using the USDA-NRCS conservation practice standards as tools to assist dairy producers in understanding the standards and how they can be used to address resources concerns.

    To establish a Practice Standard a system or practice must be thoroughly vetted, approved, and standardized by the USDA at the federal and state level. These conservation practices have been developed to address various environmental resource concerns. Newtrient has developed a 9-point scoring process for ranking additives, practices, services, and technologies for the dairy industry. Recognizing the rigorous approval procedure used during the development of the NRCS Practice Standards, many of them score very highly and are worthy of consideration on any dairy where they apply.

    The information provided here is a summary of the selected conservation practices. For up to date and detailed information related to the full Practice Standards, please see the USDA NRCS website, linked above.

    Newtrient 9-Point Scoring Rating

    View the Scoring Page

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