Voluntary Incentives for Reducing Agricultural Nonpoint Source Water Pollution

by Peter Feather and Joseph Cooper

Agricultural chemicals and sediment from cropland may reduce the quality of America's surface and ground water resources. The Clean Water Act stipulates that individual States are responsible for controlling agricultural nonpoint source pollution. Most State plans rely chiefly on education and technical assistance to promote the adoption of less polluting practices. Because profitability drives production decisions, these programs tend to be most successful when they promote inexpensive changes in existing practices. This report presents research findings on the success of incentive programs to control agricultural nonpoint source pollution.

Keywords: water quality, agricultural chemicals, ground water, surface water, Clean Water Act, Water Quality Incentive Program, nonpoint source water pollution

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