Frequently Asked Questions

If you have questions about our office or the services provided, you may find the answers here. Click a question to view the answer. If your answer is not found here, feel free to call this office at 336-372-7777, or drop by our office at 90 South Main St. Room 200, County Office Building, Sparta NC.

• What kind of assistance can I get through the Soil and Water Conservation District?

  • The Alleghany Soil and Water Conservation District provides Educational, Technical and sometimes Financial assistance for Natural Resource Conservation. (See Educational Programs listed below).

    Technical assistance is available at no cost for natural resource concerns: (erosion control, water quality and quantity concerns, nutrient runoff, streambank erosion, etc.) In some cases you may also qualify for financial assistance to correct some of these concerns. To learn more about cost-share assistance see the next question.

• What kind of cost-share programs are available for farmers?

  • Both State and Federal Programs are available to help agricultural and non-agricultural landowners install Best Management Practices to address environmental resource concerns. You may call the local Soil and Water Conservation Office at 336-372-7777 or visit the State and Federal websites to receive more information about available cost-share programs:

    • NCACSP
    • AGWRAP
    • CCAP
    • NRCS USDA Programs
    • (EQIP)
• How can I get a copy of the Alleghany County Soil Survey?

  • You may access the soil survey on the following website Alleghany Soil Survey, access soils maps on WEBGIS or request individual sheets of the maps for a particular area and non-technical descriptions by contacting our office at 336-372-7777 or by email: Madison.Patrick@alleghanycounty-nc.gov.

• What environmental educational programs are available?

  • The following educational programs are available through the Alleghany Soil and Water Conservation District:

    • Educational Contests: Contests are offered through local schools in the categories of: 5th Grade Poster, 6th Grade Essay, 7th and 8th Grade Speech and 9th Grade Computer Designed Poster. These competitions are held at school, county, area, and state levels.
    • Resource Conservation Workshop: Two or more high school students are sponsored to attend NC State University for one week in June for classes and college orientation, with field trips in the study of natural resources.
    • County, Area, State, and North American Envirothon Competitions: The District sponsors these Environmental Educational events in which middle and high school teams attend outdoor stations and compete in the fields of soils, aquatics, wildlife, forestry, and current environmental
• Can your agency force my neighbor to correct an erosion problem on his land?

  • We are not a regulatory agency, so we can not force anyone to correct a problem. If the landowner requests our assistance we can provide technical assistance or recommendations to correct erosion problem or natural resource concerns. If the landowner does not want to correct the problem you may call the NC Department of Environmental Quality regional office in Winston-Salem, NC (NCDEQ) at 336-776-9800.

• Are cattle operations required to fence the animals out of the streams?

  • Currently there is no law in Alleghany County requiring animals to be fenced out of the streams. If your operation is reported to the Water Quality Regulatory Division and found to be creating a water quality problem, you may then be required to keep the animals out of the stream. If you are receiving financial assistance through various cost-share programs, you may be required to exclude your livestock from the streams.

• What is the Voluntary Farmland Preservation Program (VAD) and how do I qualify?

  • Alleghany County adopted the Voluntary Farmland Preservation Program ordinance (FPP Ordinance) in 2003 to encourage the voluntary preservation and protection of farmland from non-farm use. This is in recognition of the importance of agriculture to the economic and social life of the county. To learn more about our Farmland Preservation Program or to participate in the voluntary program, contact our office at 336-372-7777.

• Who do I call if there is an environmental emergency?

  • You may report an environmental emergency to the NC Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) at 1-800-858-0368.