• Reallocation of supplies will generally be from lower valued uses such as 

 irrigation (where quality is not an overriding concern) to higher valued municipal 

 use (where quality can be all-important). 



■ Markets may facilitate reallocation of water use, but management of some 

 watersheds, especially on public lands, may become more important from the 

 standpoint of both water quantity and quality. 



■Surface water quality has been a concern for much of this century. Legislation in 

 the early 1970's targeted point sources of pollution. The private sector's 

 response and strict enforcement have reduced point sources of pollution, 

 creating a real success story— up to 90 percent of our inland surface waters are 

 now fishable and swimmable. 



• Various nonpoint sources of pollution are the principal sources of residual 

 problems where surface waters do not meet designated use standards. Ground 

 water quality concerns could engender significant changes in agricultural 

 practices. Also, water management policies may create situations where uses 

 are not compatible, such as management of water levels without regard to 

 effects on fish and wildlife. 



■With regard to fish and wildlife, it is estimated that about 80 percent of the 

 Nation's flowing waters can be improved in terms of water quantity, water 

 quality, fish habitat, or composition of the fish community. However, it is also 

 estimated that about two-thirds of U.S. streams have habitat adequate for sports 

 fish. 



■ In general, water quality has improved significantly in the last decade. 

 Continued monitoring and enforcement of laws and regulations should make it 

 even better. 



■Average annual flood damages are expected to increase in the future mainly 

 due to increased development and rising property values on flood plains. 



Issue Highlight— 

 Water Quality of Streams 

 Draining Forest and 

 Rangelands 



Since passage of the National Environmental Policy Act in 1969 and the Clean Water 

 Act in 1972, water quality has received a great deal of study and large allocations of 

 funds for controlling sources of quality impairment. As point sources of water pollution 

 have been brought increasingly under control, emphasis has moved to nonpoint 

 sources. Little information is available about the extent of suspended sediments and 

 nutrients that may ohginate on forest and rangelands. We initiated a study to describe 

 the nature and extent of nonpoint source pollution in water draining forest and range- 

 lands (Brown and Binkley, 1994). 



The study involved a review of available information on the relationship between 

 forest and range management and seven categories of water pollution: pathogens. 



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