Managing agricultural contamination of ground water: the institutional framework

Contamination from agricultural fertilizers and pesticides has been recognized as a serious threat to underground drinking water sources. Through separate federal acts and amendments, the states have been given various levels of support with which to attack this contamination problem. However, these federal acts have not provided enough protection for groundwater from agricultural chemicals. The states must develop their own management programs for groundwater quality protection. Each state needs to consider what type of policy it will use as the foundation of its program. The policy can provide uniform groundwater quality throughout the state, provide for limited degradation throughout the state, or allow variances in groundwater quality for different locations. The strategies available to be used in the construction of a program consist of regulation, imposition of liability, economic incentives, and education. Finally, the states need to realize the basic mechanics needed for program support. The states of Nebraska, California, New Mexico, and Arizona serve as examples to show methods through which groundwater quality protection can be realized. Some major obstacles still exist in the development of effective state groundwater quality protection. These obstacles must be overcome to provide effective management of agricultural contamination of groundwater.