Initial water quality management planning efforts documented that agricultural activities are a major source of pollution in Illinois and mandated the development of plans to control this nonpoint source pollution from agriculture. The most severe agriculturally-related problem is soil erosion and its effects upon the aquatic environment. In Illinois estimated gross erosion exceeds 180 million tons annually, 88 percent of it caused by sheet and rill erosion from cropland. To control agricultural non-point pollution from its source, efficient and effective land management practices and programs must be developed. A fundamental component of this strategy is the identification of specific areas that significantly contribute to the problem, to permit targeting of resources. Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) formed the Soil Erosion and Water Quality Advisory Committee (SEWQAC), which implemented a two-tier targeting system. Local targeting within each district is the first level. The second is statewide targeting to solve problems identified locally that cannot be addressed with local resources. A subcommittee formed by SEWQAC developed a uniform process to identify, screen, and prioritize rural water resource and lake rehabilitation projects within the State. The process provides a uniform and systematic method for local Soil and Water Conservation Districts, ASCS County Committees, and other interested local units of government to identify and compete for funding under three program authorities. Designed to set meaningful State priorities, the system provides equal access for each project to all the program authorities and gives the local county responsibility for identifying and prioritizing its projects. The local Soil and Water Conservation Districts are assisted by a State Association Water Quality Coordinator and assistant funded through an IEPA contract. The process has been successful to date.