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nonpoint source pollution. TTAER has developed a comprehensive, watershed-based institutional 

 framework to facilitate environmental compliance by agricultural producers which is embodied 

 in the proposed Agricultural Watershed "Planned Intervention' Act of 1994. The Act requires 

 the states to revise their section 319 management programs to designate an Agricultural Lead 

 Agency for agricultural nonpoint source pollution prevention and abatement programs. The 

 Lead Agency, in cooperation with local conservation districts, identifies Targeted Watersheds 

 and smaller Micro-watersheds and assists stakeholders in those Watersheds in developing 

 innovative solutions for local problems. The program is essentially voluntary, with enforcement 

 reserved for "bad actors" through State Water Quality Regulatory Agencies. The diffuse nature 

 of agricultural nonpoint source pollution does not permit facile application of command-and- 

 control strategies. Moreover, the extensive network of USDA farm-services and conservation 

 agencies is well suited to assist state conservation agencies and local conservation districts in 

 taking the lead to control agricultural nonpoint source pollution. The proposed "planned 

 intervention" approach is currently being implemented in Texas. In addition to a "planned 

 intervention" institutional framework, the Act provides a national strategy for developing 

 nonpoint source water quality criteria for refinement in state Targeted Watersheds. A National 

 Constituency Committee provides recommendations to the EPA Administrator concerning the 

 national research effort, as well as a policymaking forum for representatives of agricultural and 

 environmental interest groups. 



lctl008«/TIAER:3/21/94 



