USDA Emergency Watershed Protection Program

The Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP) is a recovery effort aimed at relieving imminent hazards to life and property caused by floods, fires, windstorms, and other natural disasters. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) administers the EWP. It is not necessary for a national emergency to be declared for an area to be eligible for assistance.

What You Need to Know

• EWP can assist if you have residents who fear that their home or driveway is in imminent threat of damage or destruction, or if severe erosion or debris is jeopardizing public infrastructure.
• Submit proposed projects to the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).
• ​​​​​​​Property is defined by the USDA's Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP) as any artificial structure permanently affixed to the land such as, but not limited to, houses, buildings, roads, utilities, structures, dams.
  • Land alone is not considered property under the EWP program.
  • EWP cannot repair or rebuild damaged or destroyed property.
  • There must exist an imminent threat to the property to be eligible for EWP assistance.
• Imminent threat means the property will be damaged or destroyed if there is another storm/flood event.
• Sponsors include legal subdivisions of the State, such as a city, county, general improvement district, conservation district, or any Native American tribe or tribal organization.
• Projects must have a "Sponsor." In Vermont, this has historically been a municipality.
• Sponsors must submit a formal request for assistance letter within 60 days of the disaster occurrence, or 60 days from the date when access to the sites becomes available.
• NRCS may bear up to 75 percent of the eligible construction cost of emergency measures (90 percent within limited-resource areas as identified by the U.S. Census data). The remaining costs must come from local sources and can be in the form of cash or in-kind services. Project sponsors can ask the benefiting private property owner to pay the match cost.
• Work cannot start until an EWP grant agreement has been executed between NCRS and a Sponsor. Otherwise, the work will be ineligible for funding.  

The Request for Assistance Letter

• Must come from entity capable of acting as Sponsor.
• Must be signed by an "official of the requesting entity (Sponsor)" - this would be a member of the municipality's/sponsor's legislative body.
• Must have a penned or digital signature. A typed signature will not be accepted
• Begins the EWP process.
• Must be addressed to Travis Thomason, Vermont NRCS State Conservationist.

Program Resources

• Program Fact Sheet 
• Key Program Points 2024
• Process Overview
• Assistance Request Letter Instructions
• Assistance Request Letter Template

Webinar (prerecorded)

• EWP Informational Meeting, July 24, 2023
• EWP Informational Meeting, presentation slide deck

For More Information

Michel Lapointe, P.E.
Vermont EWP Program Manager
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
michel.lapointe@usda.gov
802-497-5977