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Mission Statement
Provide leadership and services that enable Ohioans to conserve, protect and enhance soil, water and land resources.
Historical Background
In 1941, the Conservation Committee was established. Offices were located at The Ohio State University with the Cooperative Extension Service. In 1969, the Committee and its staff became part of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources as the Division of Soil and Water Districts.
Between 1943 and 1962, Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) were formed in each of Ohio's 88 counties. Districts formed primarily to assist farmers in dealing with cropland erosion. However, by 1962 their mission had broadened to include many urban and agricultural water management issues.
Meanwhile, in 1949, the Ohio General Assembly passed Amended Senate Bill 13 creating the Division of Lands and Soil to cooperate with all agencies engaged in soil conservation work and to complete an accurate and workable soil and land use inventory of the state. In 1982, the Division of Lands and Soil merged with the Division of Soil and Water Conservation Districts to form the Division of Soil and Water Conservation within ODNR.
In 1969, the division was given the responsibility of implementing Ohio's Agricultural Pollution Abatement program, and in 1988 was given responsibility for coordinating Ohio's Nonpoint Source Management Plan in cooperation with Ohio EPA.
Main Purpose
- Provide administrative guidance, training, program development support and financial assistance to Ohio's 88 SWCDs and their 440 elected supervisors.
- Implement statewide agricultural, urban and nonpoint water pollution control programs through information/education, technical assistance and cost-share assistance to private landowners/land users and local communities.
- Implement a comprehensive statewide soils information program on suitability/limitations for the wide array of land uses provided to the many users of soil information.
- Deliver conservation education programs statewide that assist SWCDs and other local entities educate local residents.
Priorities
- Implement Ohio's nonpoint source pollution control program.
- Develop and implement comprehensive watershed management plans in cooperation with ODNR divisions, state, federal and local agencies, and environmental and conservation organizations.
- Strengthen the role of SWCDs as local natural resource management and conservation education agencies.
- Strengthen livestock waste management to prevent pollution and increase resource utilization.
- Improve soils information and its use by private landowners and public agencies.
Significant Accomplishments
- Water quality improvements by controlling agricultural and urban erosion and animal waste discharges, chemicals and habitat loss through watershed and other projects.
- Initiation of special programs through SWCDs for manure and nutrient management, conservation education, wildlife damage control, urban stream restoration and riparian area protection.
- Significant enhancement of Ohio's riparian corridor management efforts through 10 StreamBanking projects and piggybacking on USDA's Wetlands Reserve Program.
- In cooperation with Ohio EPA, update Ohio's Nonpoint Pollution Control Program. Nonpoint source pollution is now the major reason water bodies in Ohio fail to meet water quality standards.
Advisory Board
The Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Commission consists of four members appointed by the governor, a member designated by the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the director of the Department of Agriculture, the vice president for Agriculture at OSU, and the director of ODNR (ex officio). Members meet quarterly.
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