U.S. agriculture depends on an abundant supply of clean water. Other human activity has also placed heavy demands on this finite resource.
Pollutants are a major concern.
In 1990, when surface drainage from farms in a 400,000-acre watershed in northeast Alabama was threatening the safety of groundwater, an Auburn and USDA water quality project was started. Now, six years later, the use of best management practices has reduced nitrogen and phosphorous levels in ground-water by 40 percent. Annual nitrogen applications have been reduced by 202 tons, phosphorous levels have been cut by 38 tons and groundwater quality is within EPA safety limits. Two California water quality projects have drastically reduced nonpoint source pollution. Best management practices were adopted in the watershed area, reducing sediment runoff into the river by an estimated 340,000 tons and cutting pesticide runoff by 620 pounds.