Conservation Effects Assessment Project

The Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) began in 2003 as a multi-agency effort to quantify the environmental benefits of conservation practices used by private landowners participating in selected U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation programs.

The California Stemple Creek CEAP Project Plan evaluated the environmental benefits and effects of USDA and Resource Conservation District (RCD) conservation programs that include Best Management Practices (BMPs) implemented to enhance water quality and stabilize upland erosion to reduce sediment yield. The goal of the Stemple Creek CEAP Project is to validate the AnnAGNPS and watershed model, use the Riparian Ecosystem Management Model (REMM) to investigate the expected impacts of riparian buffers, and establish linkages between on-site treatments using conservation practices and off-site effects.

The project is a joint effort between NRCS, Cooperative Extension Service (CES) and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The NRCS tracked the use of conservation practices implemented through the  Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and other RCD, state and local programs. The CES performed the surface water monitoring. The ARS collected soils and other information needed for the models, setting up GIS data layers and running model simulations to validate.

Below is the final report of the California Stemple CEAP.

If you encounter problems with the files provided on this page, please contact the Webmaster.

The following document requires Acrobat Reader.

California Stemple Creek CEAP Final Report (PDF; 4.76 MB)

• National CEAP Information