| (a) In order to maximize the positive impacts of brush
control on water supply enhancement and the effective and efficient
use of allocated funds, a geospatial analysis will be performed to
delineate and prioritize the acres eligible for cost-share that have
the highest potential to yield water within a project watershed. The
geospatial analysis addresses the consideration described in §517.25(d)(2)
of this subchapter.
(b) The geospatial analysis will consider multiple
landscape characteristics for a project watershed and will assign
a ranking to all areas of the watershed based on the overall number
of these characteristics that apply to a specific location. Each characteristic
has multiple criteria each with a ranking value assigned. Characteristics
that will be assessed in the geospatial analysis include:
(1) Brush Density--type and density of brush to be
treated in fraction of the area with treatable brush;
(2) Soils--relative to hydrologic properties such as
runoff potential or recharge/infiltration rate;
(3) Slope--sufficiently steep to carry water to streambed
but not impair method of brush control;
(4) Proximity to Waterbodies--including riparian areas
and other hydrologically sensitive areas critical to streamflow and
aquifer recharge; and
(5) Proximity to Watershed Outlet.
(c) Excluded Areas. Due to their sensitive nature,
the following areas are automatically excluded from the analysis and
are included in the not eligible zone:
(1) Areas that are designated as sensitive or critical
habitat of endangered or threatened species; and
(2) Slopes greater than 16 percent.
(d) The geospatial analysis results in four brush control
priority zones for each watershed: high, medium, low, and not eligible.
(e) Different ranking values may be assigned to the
multiple criteria of each characteristic, based on their impacts on
the target water supply and goal for the project. The intended goal
of the project may be either to manage brush for infiltration enhancement
of aquifers or to manage brush for runoff enhancement of surface waterbodies.
|
