Conservation Practices

Management Practice Information Sheets (7.51MB PDF)
This document contains 70 one page sheets describing conservation management practices. Each practice has a general description, picture, pros and cons, benefits to water quality (if known) and links to additional information.

Handbook of Agricultural Conservation Practices: Photos and Descriptions with Food Safety Considerations (2nd Edition, 2009, 6.4MB PDF)
Developed by the Resource Conservation District of Monterey County

Handbook of Agricultural Conservation Practices (3MB PDF)
Developed by the Resource Conservation District of Monterey County.  This handbook is a useful pictorial guide to seven engineered practices and nine non-engineered practices.

Each of the following documents contain the definition, purpose, criteria, considerations and maintanence information for each practice. NRCS has information on practices that are not listed here, but these seemed to be the most related to water quality.

Permitting Information:
For information in counties that do not have brochures, contact the local RCD. RCD contact information can be found here.

Monterey County:
Salinas Valley Watershed Permit Coordination Program (182K PDF)

Guide to Stream or Wetland Project Permitting (142K PDF)

San Benito County:
Guide to Stream or Wetland Project Permitting (285K PDF)

Santa Clara County:
Guide to Stream or Wetland Project Permitting (287K PDF)

San Luis Obispo:
Guide to Stream or Wetland Project Permitting (289K PDF)

Ranching and Riparian Areas

Ranching Along the Stream (218K PDF)
This is a short 2 page summary of historic grazing practices and changes in management to protect riparian areas. Signs of stream bank degradation are also described.

Horse Keeping
The following documents contain all the information you need to know for keeping horses and clean water.  Thanks to the Council of Bay Area Resouce Conservation Districts.

• Adjusting C:N Ratio in Horse Manure Composting (65K PDF)
  
• Economics of Manure Composting (89K PDF)
  
• Horse Keeping: A Guide to Land Management for Clean Water (3.9MB PDF)
  
• Land Application of Horse Manure (264K PDF)
  
• Manure Storage for Horse Facilities (713K PDF)
  
• Horse Manure Management: A Guide for Bay Area Horse Keepers (234K PDF)
  
• The Benefits of Wood Pellet Bedding at Horse Facilities (112K PDF)
  
• Managing Manure: The Role of Riparian Buffer(503K PDF)
  
• Water Quality and Horse Keeping Facilities(348K PDF)

Roads
There are three publications to help you with roads.  All three are usefull and cover varying degrees of information.  If you are interested in any roads work don't forget to contact our Hydrologist and Roads Engineer, Nick Lasher. He provides free technical assistance and would be happy to come out to work with you.

Hydrologist
Nick Lasher
744-A La Guardia St.
Salinas, CA 93905
831.710.2540
nick.lasher@ca.usda.gov

Private Road Maintenance Guide for Santa Cruz County (754K PDF)
Although this booklet was developed for Santa Cruz County, it is extremely useful for people everywhere. There are many road drainage improvement guidelines included along with erosion and sediment control measures.

Controlling Erosion on Hillside Farm Roads (249K PDF)
This brochure is very useful and easy to understand. It describes practical ways to control erosion. Developed by the Santa Cruz County Resource Conservation District and the Resource Conservation District of Monterey County in cooperation with USDA Natural Resource Conservation District.

Low-Volume Roads Engineering: Best Management Practices Field Guide
This booklet is broken up into 14 chapters.  Each chapter is a seperate .pdf file.  There are many pictures and easy to understand explanations throughout the chapters.  Make sure to get out chapters 13 & 14. They are full of great information for engineers and non-engineers alike.
This guide was developed for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) with the cooperation of the USDA, the Forest Service, the Office of International Programs, and the International Programs Department at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

• Cover: Low-Volume Roads Engineering (380K PDF)
• Preface, Table of Contents and Definition of Terms (1.48MB PDF)
• Ch1-Introduction (553K PDF)
  • “Ideas are a dime a dozen. People who put them into action are priceless.”
    -A. Einstein
• Ch2-Environmental Analysis (1.1MB PDF)
  • Involve all parties! Communicate, communicate, communicate!
• Ch3-Planning Issues and Special Applications (1.22MB PDF)
  • “Assess the long term impacts and benefits of a road.”
• Ch4-Low-Volume Roads Engineering (1.54MB PDF)
  • “You get what you Inspect, not what you Expect.”
• Ch5-Hydrology for Drainage Crossing Design (558K PDF)
  • “Base drainage structure size on some rational or statistical design process.”
• Ch6-Tools for Hydraulic and Road Design (1.02MB PDF)
  • “Protect against scour! Incorporate adequate riprap size and filters into streambank protection measures.”
• Ch7-Drainage of Low-Volume Roads (1.78MB PDF)
  • “Three of the most important aspects of road design -- drainage, drainage, and drainage”
• Ch8-Culvert Use, Installation, and Sizing (1.62MB PDF)
  • “Ensure that culverts are adequately sized or have overflow protection.”
• Ch9-Fords and Low-Water Crossings (757K PDF)
  • “Keep the ford profile low, armor the driving surface, and protect against scour.”
• Ch10-Bridges (821K PDF)
  • “Bridges -- usually the best, but most expensive drainage crossing structure. Protect bridges against scour.”
• Ch11-Slope Stabilization and Stability of Cuts and Fills (1.54MB PDF)
  • “Construct cut and fill slopes that are flat enough to be stable over time and that can be revegetated.”
• Ch12-Roadway Materials and Material Sources (1.82MB PDF)
  • “Select quality roadway materials that are durable, well-graded, and perform well on the road. Maintain quality control.”
• Ch13-Erosion Control (1.63MB PDF)
  • “Erosion control -- one of the best, most inexpensive ways to protect the road and the environment. Just do it!”
• Ch14-Stabilization of Gullies (735K PDF)
  • “A gram of erosion control and gully stabilization can prevent a kilogram of sediment loss.”
• References (159K PDF)