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APPENDIX I 



AGRICULTURAL WATER QUALITY PROGRAM 

 POLICY CONSIDERATIONS 



ECOP/ESCOP Working Group on Water Quality and the Clean Water Act 



Congress, in dealing with the Coastal Zone Management Act and Amendments and the 

 Clean Water Act reauthorization, has placed increased attention on nonpoint source pollution. 

 This paper focuses on agricultural nonpoint source pollution prevention and control, agency 

 responsibilities and roles considered appropriate for Land-Grant Universities. A structure for 

 integrating voluntary, incentive-based and regulatory approaches will be proposed, in keeping 

 with the Administration's commitment to use voluntary programs to the extent possible, but 

 applying regulatory programs where necessary (Browner, 1993). The focus of the paper is on 

 agricultural sources of nonpoint source pollution; however, the issues and the proposals that 

 are made are equally relevant to most nonagricultural sources of nonpoint source pollution. 

 Similarly, the issues and the proposals made here are relevant to both rural and urban nonpoint 

 source discussions. 



The goal of water quality programs should be to assure that agricultural and forestry 

 production practices and related activities maintain and improve the quality of surface and 

 ground water resources. Policies should be carefully planned and implemented to provide 

 adequate incentives and encouragement to bring about the adoption of appropriate management 

 practices to prevent pollution and to discourage practices which cause resource deterioration. 

 Producers must be dealt with in a fair and equitable maimer. 



Fundamental Principles 



General Water Quality Considerations 



• Prevention of pollution at the source should be the primary focus of public and private 

 agriculwral water quality programs. Remediation of impaired water is extremely 

 expensive, inefficient and impractical (Water Quality 2CKX), 1993). 



• Problems that affect ground and surface water are generally inseparable. Efforts to 

 address water pollution problems must take into account the entire hydrologic cycle 

 (Water Quality 2000, 1993). Recommended land management practices should be 

 based on economic, social and broad ecological considerations. 



• Agricultural pollution problems are site-specific in nature and require site-specific and 

 practice-specific solutions for successful prevention and mitigation tailored to the 

 farmer's capabilities. 



• Agricultural point and nonpoint source pollution problems should be addressed 

 concurrently where both types of sources are present on a specific site or within a 

 priority (targeted) watershed. 



March 23, 1994 



