departments & agencies
soil & water
155
Hilliard Ave. Suite 204
Asheville, NC 28801
(828)250-4785
The Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District's mission is to conserve the soil, water, and related natural resources of Buncombe County by providing education, information, technical assistance, and economic incentives to county citizens and by establishing new programs in concert with other appropriate agencies and organizations to meet changing needs.
Annual Report 2007
Community Conservation Assistant Program
"What is CCAP? A voluntary, incentive-based program designed to improve water quality through the installation of various best management practices (BMPs) on urban, suburban and rural lands, not directly involved in agricultural production. CCAP consists of educational, technical and financial assistance provided to landowners by local soil and water conservation districts." (from NC DENR CCAP website)
For more information, check out their website.
Services provided by Soil & Water Conservation
- Technical Assistance (advice and/or planning) on erosion
control and water quality issues. Clients are served through
visits to our office, phone consultations, and site visits.
Agronomists, engineers, soil scientists, and other specialists
from a number of local, state, and federal agencies work
closely with the District staff to serve our client’s needs.
Some of the areas the District assists with are:
- Soil Erosion
- Animal Waste Management
- Stream Bank Stabilization
- Pond Site Assessments
- Sedimentation
- Nutrient Management
- Plants for Erosion Control
- Storm Water Control
- Spring Development
- Riparian Restoration
- Private Access Road Layout
- Urban Erosion Control
- Educational Programs such as:
- Presentations to school classes, civic organizations, community clubs, and others.
- Annual Poster, Essay, and Public Speaking contests for students
- Environmental Education Field Days for students
- Workshops such as Project Wet, Project Wild, and Aquatic Wild
- Special Exhibits (Mtn. State Fair, etc.)
- Environmental Education Newsletters
- Video Library
- Educational Materials (cartoon booklets, etc.)
- Administer or help to administer State, Federal, and local
conservation programs such as:
- North Carolina Agriculture Cost Share Program – provides a 75% cost share to persons who install water
quality improvement projects on agricultural lands.
The District has two full-time staff working with this
program and receives an average annual allocation of
$120,000 for cost share with farmers.
- Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)–
a federal program that provides cost share for a variety
of water quality conservation practices.
- Buncombe County Voluntary Farmland Preservation Program – a local government program that allows farmers to voluntarily enroll their farm property in an agricultural district. The purpose of the program is to slow the decline of farmlands in the county and offer operators of farms some protection from encroachment of development.
- North Carolina Agriculture Cost Share Program – provides a 75% cost share to persons who install water
quality improvement projects on agricultural lands.
The District has two full-time staff working with this
program and receives an average annual allocation of
$120,000 for cost share with farmers.
- Soils data for Buncombe County. Aerial photos, map unit descriptions, soil series descriptions, and soils series interpretations are available from an unpublished 1975 soil survey. The county is currently being mapped and the above information is available on the areas that have been mapped.
Information available for viewing in the District office
- National Wetland Inventory Maps (1995)
- Aerial Photos – 1951, 1963, 1975, 1982, 1988
- U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Flood Hazard Maps
- U.S.G.S, 7.5 minute topographic maps of Buncombe County
Forms and Other Documents
- Agricultural Development and Farmland Protection Plan for Buncombe County
- Application for Farmland Preservation
Hours of Operation
Monday through Friday
8:00am - 5:00pm
Contact Us
Gary Higgins
Director
Soil and Water Conservation
155 Hilliard Ave. Suite 204
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 250-4785
To learn more about the departments within Soil & Water Conservation, select a topic from the list on the left.