Floodplain Easement Program

The Floodplain Easement Program (FPE) is a voluntary program that offers landowners the means and the opportunity to protect, restore and enhance lands subject to repeated flooding and flood damage.  The Floodplain Easement is funded through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program.  The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) manages the program as well as provides technical and financial support to help landowners that participate in FPE.

The objective of the FPE program is to assist in relieving imminent hazards to life and property from floods and the products of erosion created by natural disasters that are causing a sudden impairment of a watershed.  The FPE Program is not intended to deny any party access to the traditional eligible EWP practices, but rather to provide a more permanent solution to repetitive disaster assistance payments and achieve greater environmental benefits where the situation warrants and the affected Landowner is willing to participate in the easement approach.

The benefits of FPE includes; 1) reduction of the public risk of flood damages including public risk to downstream or adjacent lands, 2) protection of lives and property from floods, 2) reduction in soil erosion through restoration, protection and/or enhancement of the floodplain, 3) elimination of future disaster payments, 4) restoration, protection, management, maintenance and enhancement of the functions of wetlands, riparian areas, and other lands, and 5) conservation natural values including fish and wildlife habitat, water quality improvement, flood water retention, groundwater recharge, open space, aesthetics, and environmental education.

Additional information:

These files require Acrobat Reader or Microsoft Word


Step-by-Step Application Information (DOC; 26 KB)
Indiana Question & Answer Sheet (DOC; 35 KB) 
Geographic Area Rate Caps (PDF; 23 KB)  NEW




Forms needed and available from NRCS through eForms:

AD1153 Application for Long-term Contracted Assistance Through the FPE
AD1154 Attachment A General Provisions
AD1157 Option Agreement to Purchase
AD1157A Option Agreement to Purchase, Amendment 1
AD1158 Subordination Agreement and Limited Lien Waiver
AD1159 Notification of Intent to Continue
AD1161 Application for Payment
NRCSCPA0038 Request for Certified Wetland Determination
NRCSLTP0013 Conservation Program Status Review

Contact:

For local assistance, please contact the District Conservationist in your area.  For a listing of District Conservationists in Indiana, please click here.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Indiana Floodplain Easement Program, contact Brianne Lowe, Indiana's NRCS Easement Program Specialist, at brianne.lowe@in.usda.gov or (317) 295-5834