[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 222 (Thursday, November 17, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Page 81053]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-27633]
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Notices
Federal Register
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This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 222 / Thursday, November 17, 2016 /
Notices
[[Page 81053]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Natural Resources Conservation Service
[Docket No. NRCS-2016-0009]
Notice of Implementation of the Water Erosion Prediction Project
(WEPP) Technology for Soil Erodibility System Calculations for the
Natural Resources Conservation Service
AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA).
ACTION: Notice of availability of WEPP for soil erodibility system
calculations scheduled for implementation for public review and
comment.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the intention of NRCS to implement
the WEPP technology to replace the use of the Revised Universal Soil
Loss Equation, Version 2 (RUSLE2), where applicable.
DATES: Effective Date: This is effective November 17, 2016.
Comment Date: Submit comments on or before December 19, 2016. The
final version of the new WEPP water erosion prediction technology will
be adopted after the close of the 30-day period, and after
consideration of all comments.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket Number NRCS-
2016-0009, using any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Mail or hand-delivery: Norman Widman, National Agronomist,
Ecological Sciences Division, Natural Resources Conservation Service,
1400 Independence Avenue Southwest, Room 6150, Washington, DC 20250.
Email: [email protected].
NRCS will post all comments on http://www.regulations.gov. In
general, personal information provided with comments will be posted. If
your comment includes your address, phone number, email, or other
personal identifying information, your comments, including personal
information, may be available to the public. You may ask in your
comment that your personal identifying information be withheld from
public view, but this cannot be guaranteed.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Norman Widman, National Agronomist,
Ecological Sciences Division, Natural Resources Conservation Service,
1400 Independence Avenue Southwest, Room 6153, Washington, DC 20250.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The RUSLE2, an empirical erosion prediction
model for calculating sheet and rill water erosion, is being replaced
by WEPP technology for selected highly erodible compliance
applications. The WEPP model is for use where water erosion is the
primary causal factor for comparing the annual level of erosion before
conservation system application to the expected annual level of erosion
after conservation system application (i.e., substantial reduction for
highly erodible land conservation). The use of the Universal Soil Loss
Equation (USLE) to calculate potential erodibility remains unchanged.
The regulation for USLE is located at 7 CFR 610.14.
The implementation of the WEPP technology does not affect the
highly erodible soil map unit list contained in the NRCS Field Office
Technical Guide as of January 1, 1990. The factor values from the 1990
list will continue to be used for all erodibility index calculations,
including sodbuster determinations and review of previous
determinations.
The WEPP technology computer model is a process-based, daily time-
step model that predicts soil erosion by simulating the fundamental
processes controlling water erosion. WEPP calculates sheet and rill
erosion rates and sediment deposition and delivery. The WEPP model also
provides the user with spatial information regarding soil flux,
deposition, and loss from specific regions of a field over time. The
model is intended for conservation planning, assessing water erosion
for NRCS' National Resources Inventory, and aiding the development of
regional and national policy.
The WEPP modular design is amenable to incorporation of new
features; thus, WEPP utility also is for estimating long-term soil
productivity, the effect of climate change on crop growth and erosion,
sediment depositional loading of lakes and streams, and ephemeral
erosion prediction.
Further, WEPP aids in calculating onsite and offsite economic costs
of erosion and assessing impacts of management strategies on public
lands when used in conjunction with other models.
A complete summary of the processes utilized by the WEPP model can
be seen in ``WEPP Model Documentation'' on the USDA Agricultural
Research Service Web page at http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/docs.htm?docid=10621. Additional WEPP documents also are also available
on this Web page.
The proposed implementation timeframe for WEPP in each NRCS field
office with a water erosion concern is December 1, 2016. Section
1201(a)(11)(C) of the Food Security Act of 1985, as amended, (16 U.S.C.
3801(a)(11)(C)) requires NRCS to make available for public review and
comment all proposed changes to equations to carry out the highly
erodible land provisions of the law in a manner consistent with section
553 of title 5.
Signed this 4th day of October, 2016, in Washington, DC.
Jason A. Weller,
Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-27633 Filed 11-16-16; 8:45 am]
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