Primary Purpose for the Group

The Southern Region Extension Water Quality Planning Committee (SREWQPC) was formed by the Southern Directors to carry out four primary objectives:

1. Provide a forum for discussion of water quality programming issues faced by state specialists.
2. Develop and maintain a directory of water quality expertise in the region.
3. Develop an inventory of publications, slide sets, videos and other Extension materials related to water quality programming, and support development of a clearinghouse to provide rapid single-source identification of education materials.
4. Promote cooperation and collaboration among states in developing and conducting in-service training courses for specialists and county faculty and staff.

Summary of Accomplishments

• The SREWQPC met May 15-17 in Nashville, Tennessee to initiate planning efforts for the biennial regional water quality workshop planned for April 2001. However, due to the elimination of Smith-Lever 3(d) Water Quality funding the 2001 workshop had to be postponed for up to one year, since funds were not available to coordinate the program or support travel of County Agents and other staff. In other business, the committee began planning for development of a regional project in response to Section 406. Also, reports were given by each State Water Quality Coordinator present at the meeting.
• State Water Quality Coordinators developed individual state assessments and a regional summary detailing the programmatic impacts of loss of the Smith-Lever 3(d) funds which were provided to USDA-CSREES.
• State Water Quality Coordinators worked with the National Advisory/Leadership Team (NA/LT) to develop recommendations for USDA-CSREES regarding the substance of the Section 406 Request for Proposals. Emphasis was placed on providing multi-year funding for projects and promoting integration.
• The Committee developed and distributed a revised and updated list of state water quality contacts in the Southern Region.
• The Committee worked aggressively to develop and submit a project proposal in response to the Section 406 Integrated Water Quality Program RFP in the Regional Water Quality Coordination category (Program Area 110.2).
• State Water Quality Coordinators have maintained regular contact via telephone and e-mail sharing situation updates and program development and implementation strategies related to water quality management and protection.
• A follow-up survey to the 1999 Water Quality Workshop in Raleigh, North Carolina was conducted. Results indicated that over 90% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that their capacity to deliver successful water quality programs was strengthened by participation in the conference. Over 95% of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that their educational programs benefitted from the information received at the conference. Over 85% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they brought information home, which was successfully shared with colleagues.
• Water Quality Coordinators wrote the water resources theme issue of the Southern Rural Development Center’s "Southern Perspectives," in fall 1999.
• A member of the SREWQPC wrote the water resources white paper for the SRDC series "The Rural South: Preparing for the Challenges of the 21^st Century" with input from members.

Current/Recent Major Projects

• The Southern Region, redefined by USDA-CSREES as EPA Regions IV and VI, has been awarded a Regional Water Quality Coordination Grant. The Committee is actively engaged in the project planning and implementation process.
• The Region IV EPA Liaison (Lisa Ann McKinley) organized a 3-day joint conference with EPA in April on water quality educational programming. Approximately 80 individuals representing all water quality related program areas participated in the event.
• Georgia coordinated a regional training conference on Best Management Practices for Beef Cattle Producers in May targeting county extension faculty and NRCS in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina.
• Extension personnel in Tennessee and Georgia helped plan, organize and conduct the Conasauga River Conservation Field Days held in August 2000 in cooperation with the Conasauga River Alliance. The Alliance is a Public-Private Partnership that has been featured as a national watershed action model by USDA in the Clean Water Action Report. Over 400 individuals were in attendance.

Other Disciplines Which Participate

The SREWQPC membership includes expertise in animal waste management, agricultural engineering, soil fertility, agronomy, solid waste management, extension education, and agricultural economics. Program planning efforts for regional workshops and other special efforts involve expertise in a range of program areas including 4-H and youth, horticulture, wildlife, rangeland management, forestry, integrated pest management, consumer and family sciences and other related areas.

State Represented at Meetings

The 13 states in the Southern Region have participated in all planning efforts. These include:

Based on requirements of the Section 406 RFP, New Mexico as a state of EPA Region VI must be a member of the Regional Project. The State Water Quality Coordinator (Dr. Craig Runyan) has been an active new member of the SREWQPC. In addition, EPA Liaisons for Region IV (Ms. Lisa Ann McKinley) and Region VI (vacant) participate in all planning and educational program delivery efforts.

The SREWQPC conducts its programs with direct involvement of 1890 and 1994 institutions, which are represented on all regional planning and program development committees.

Industry Representatives

The SREWQPC promotes involvement of state and federal agencies and industry organizations. The Farm Foundation sponsors a mini-grant program as part of the biennial workshop which provides $500 to $1,000 grants on a competitive basis to projects throughout the region. The Farm Foundation provided $5,000 for mini-grants (five $1,000 grants were awarded) at the Raleigh workshop. In addition, representatives from state and federal water quality agencies, particularly the EPA and USDA-NRCS, are routinely invited to participate in program planning efforts.

Leadership

Current leadership for the SREWQPC is provided by the Chairman, Dr. James Hairston (Auburn University), Vice-Chairman, Dr. Barbara Speziale (Clemson University) and the Secretary, Ms. Lisa Ann McKinley (EPA Region IV Liaison).

Advisor

The administrative advisor for the SREWQPC is Dr. B.L. Harris, Associate Director for Agricultural Sciences at Texas A&M University.

Meetings

The SREWQPC traditionally meets two times each year, once in spring (April) and once in the fall (October). Meeting locations are rotated within the region to provide opportunities for local tours and educational programs in conjunction with the planning effort. The next scheduled meeting is October 23-25 in Atlanta, Georgia, during which the Committee will begin implementation of the Regional Project and conduct planning for the next Regional Workshop.

The SREWQPC was formed by the Southern Directors in November 1988.

Report Prepared by

Dr. Mark L. McFarland, Extension Water Qaulity Coordinator, Texas (Past Chair).