461.34 Watershed protection account — allocations.

1. A watershed protection account is created in the trust fund. Fourteen percent of the moneys credited to the trust fund shall be allocated to the account.

2. The account shall be used cooperatively by the department of natural resources and the department of agriculture and land stewardship to support all of the following initiatives:

a. Water resource projects administered by the department of natural resources to preserve watersheds, including but not limited to all of the following:

(1) Projects to protect, restore, or enhance water quality in the state through the provision of financial assistance to communities for impairment-based, locally directed watershed projects. The department may use the account to support the water resource restoration sponsor program as provided in section 455B.199.

(2) Regional and community watershed assessment, planning, and prioritization efforts, including as provided in chapter 466B.

b. Surface water protection projects and practices administered by the department of agriculture and land stewardship or the department of natural resources, including but not limited to the installation of permanent vegetation cover, filter strips, grass waterways, and riparian forest buffers; dredging; and bank stabilization. The departments of agriculture and land stewardship and natural resources may use the account to support the conservation buffer strip program provided in section 466.4 and the conservation reserve enhancement program as provided in section 466.5.

3. The departments’ decision to prioritize initiatives may be based on the priority list of watersheds provided in section 456A.33A.

2010 Acts, ch 1158, §12, 17