AGRICULTURAL WATER-QUALITY PROGRAM POLICY CONSIDERATIONS

Congress, in dealing with the Coastal Zone Management Act and Amendments, and the Clean Water Act reauthorization, has placed increased attention on agricultural point and nonpoint-source pollution. A structure (''tiered and targeted'') for integrating voluntary, incentive-based, and regulatory approaches to address agricultural point and nonpoint-source pollution is proposed, in keeping with the administration's commitment to use voluntary programs to the extent possible, but applying regulatory programs where necessary. The focus of this article is on agricultural sources of nonpoint-source pollution and the appropriate mix of federal, state, and local programs for necessary control actions. Specific suggestions are offered for improving existing programs and appropriate roles are suggested for land-grant universities in responding to pollution demands.