Session 2: Experiences in agricultural resource management and environmental protection in OECD countries POLICY ISSUES REGARDING WATER AVAILABILITY AND WATER QUALITY IN AGRICULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES

Most current issues regarding water availability and water quality in agriculture have arisen due to increasing competition for limited resources and changes in public preferences regarding the environment. Demand for water has increased in recent decades with increases in population and income levels. Water supply has remained largely fixed due to natural conditions and a declining rate of investment in new water supply facilities. Investment has slowed as the cost of developing new sites for dams and reservoirs has increased, and as public preferences have shifted toward greater concern for protecting the environment and sustaining the use of natural resources. Public agencies and legislatures have responded to the shift in public preferences by implementing new environmental standards that require changes in agricultural and industrial production methods. The two primary issues that must be resolved by public officials in the future are: 1) determining the best ways to allocate limited water supplies in an era of increasing demands by agriculture, industry, cities, and the environment, and 2) determining the best ways to define and achieve state and national water quality objectives, while not constraining desirable economic growth and development. Many smaller issues are described within the context of these primary issues. Introduction Major issues involving water availability and water quality in agriculture have evolved over time in the United States, changing largely as a function of increasing population and wealth, and changes in technology and public preferences. Early in the nation’s history there was a vast supply of land, water, and other natural resources, both in aggregate and per person. The eastern states in which the country first developed are humid, with sufficient rainfall in summer to produce most crops without irrigation. As the country expanded westward into the arid states of Kansas, Arizona, Colorado, and Texas, irrigation was required to support commercial agriculture. Dryland farming could support small numbers of residents, but irrigation was needed to generate desirable rates of economic growth. Public and private agencies were established in the late 1800s and early 1900s to promote irrigation development. Many large dams, reservoirs, and irrigation schemes were constructed in the first half of the 20th century, particularly in states located west of the Mississippi River. Irrigation enabled several arid 1. This paper is Contribution Number 06-08 of the Rivers Institute at Hanover College.