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Water Bank Act (16 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.)

Country/Territory
United States of America
Document type
Legislation
Date
1970 (2020)
Source
FAO, FAOLEX
Subject
Agricultural & rural development, Land & soil, Water, Wild species & ecosystems
Keyword
Use restrictions Sustainable use Soil conservation/soil improvement Soil pollution/quality Erosion Institution Contract/agreement Private land Servitude Wetlands Surface water Freshwater resources management Flood Freshwater pollution Pollution control Water quality standards Policy/planning Wild flora Migratory species Protection of habitats Management/conservation Biodiversity Ecosystem preservation
Geographical area
Americas, Arctic, East Pacific, North America, North Atlantic
Abstract

This act regulates water banks. It states that the Congress finds that it is in the public interest to preserve, restore, and improve the wetlands of the Nation, and thereby to conserve surface waters, to preserve and improve habitat for migratory waterfowl and other wildlife resources, to reduce runoff, soil and wind erosion, and contribute to flood control, to contribute to improved water quality and reduce stream sedimentation, to contribute to improved subsurface moisture, to reduce acres of new land coming into production and to retire lands now in agricultural production, to enhance the natural beauty of the landscape, and to promote comprehensive and total water management planning. The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized and directed to formulate and carry out a continuous program to prevent the serious loss of wetlands, and to preserve, restore, and improve such lands, which program shall begin on July 1, 1971. In effectuating the water bank program authorized by this chapter, the Secretary shall have authority to enter into agreements with landowners and operators in important migratory waterfowl nesting and breeding areas for the conservation of water on specified farm, ranch, or other wetlands identified in a conservation plan developed in cooperation with the Soil and Water Conservation District in which the lands are located, under such rules and regulations as the Secretary may prescribe. These agreements shall be entered into for a period of ten years, with provision for renewal for additional periods of ten years each. In the agreement between the Secretary and an owner or operator, the owner or operator shall agree, among others, to place in the program for the period of the agreement eligible wetland areas he designates, which areas may include wetlands covered by a Federal or State government easement which permits agricultural use, together with such adjacent areas as determined desirable by the Secretary; not to drain, burn, fill, or otherwise destroy the wetland character of such areas, nor to use such areas for agricultural purposes, as determined by the Secretary; and to effectuate the wetland conservation and development plan for his land in accordance with the terms of the agreement, unless any requirement thereof is waived or modified by the Secretary pursuant to this act.

Full text
English
Website
uscode.house.gov