Proposed Changes to Section IV of the Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG) of the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Georgia

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Natural Resources Conservation Service

Proposed Changes to Section IV of the Field Office Technical

Guide (FOTG) of the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Georgia

AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Georgia, U.S.

Department of Agriculture.

ACTION: Notice of availability of proposed changes in Section IV of the

FOTG of the NRCS in Georgia for review and comment.

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SUMMARY: It is the intention of NRCS in Georgia to revise Section IV of

the Field Office Technical Guide, as follows:--Add New Interim

Conservation Practice Standards: Agrichemical Handling Facility (Code

702); Covered Anaerobic Lagoon (Code 360); Dry Hydrant (Code 712);

Slope Roughening (Code 726); Stream Crossing (Code 728); Waste Facility

Decommissioning (Code 709); Watering Ramp (Code 730); Well and Water

Testing (Code 731);--Add Conservation Practice Standards: Animal Trails

and Walkways (Code 575); Conservation Cover (Code 327); Forage Harvest

Management (Code 511); Forest Harvest Trails and Landings (Code 655);

Irrigation Water Conveyance, Low-pressure Plastic Pipe (Code 430-EE);

Lined Waterways and Outlets (Code 468); Prescribed Grazing (Code 528A);

Pumping Plant for Water Control (Code 533); Roof Runoff Management

(Code 558); Structure for Water Control (Code 587); Well

Decommissioning (Code 351); Windbreak/Shelterbreak Establishment (Code

380); Windbreak/Shelterbreak Renovation (Code 650);--Revise

Conservation Practice Standards: Wildlife Upland Habitat Management

(Code 645); Critical Area Planting (Code 342); Access Road (Code 560);

Composting Facility (Code 317); Diversion (Code 362); Fence (Code 382);

Heavy Use Area Protection (Code 561); Pond (Code 378); Riparian Forest

Buffer (Code 391); Terrace (Code 600); Waste Storage Facility (Code

313); Waste Treatment Lagoon (Code 359); Streambank and Shoreline

Protection (Code 580); Stream Channel Stabilization (Code 584); Surface

Drainage, Field Ditch (Code 607), Main or Lateral (Code 608);

Prescribed Burning (Code 338);--Rename Conservation Practice Standards:

Forest Site Preparation (Code 490); Forest Stand Improvement (Code

666); Use Exclusion (Code 472); Tree/Shrub Establishment (Code 612).

These practices can be used in systems that treat highly erodible land,

improve water quality and improve wildlife habitat.

DATES: Comments will be received on or before April 20, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Inquire in writing to Earl Cosby, State

Conservationist, USDA State Office Service Center, Mail Stop 200,

Stephens Federal Building, 355 East Hancock Ave., Athens, Georgia

30601. Copies of the Conservation Practice Standards will be made

available upon written request. Copies are also available

electronically on the Georgia Homepage or NRCS server. The web site

address is ``http://www.ga.nrcs.usda.gov/reg/cps.html''. These

standards are available as MS Word 6.0 files. The name of the Georgia

NRCS server is ``seweb.ga.nrcs.usda.gov''. Practice standards appear as

files in ``/pub/outgoing/gastandards'' directory. Using FTP download as

binary files.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: Section 343 of the Federal Agricultural

Improvement and Reform Act of the 1996 states that revisions to NRCS

State technical guides used to carry out highly erodible land and

wetland provisions of the law made after enactment of the law shall be

available for public review and comment. For the next 30 days the NRCS

in Georgia will receive comments relative to the proposed changes.

Following that period a determination will be made by the NRCS in

Georgia regarding disposition of those comments and a final

determination of change will be made.

Dated: March 11, 1998.

Earl Cosby,

State Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Athens,

Georgia.

[FR Doc. 98-7118 Filed 3-18-98; 8:45 am]

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