Water Resources and the Land-Water Interface

TLDR

Local and regional plans to control nonpoint source pollution from agriculture are mandated by section 208 of Public Law 92‑500, yet planners often equate erosion control with water‑quality improvements or employ channel practices that degrade quality, overlooking the critical role of the land‑water interface. The study proposes that integrating multidisciplinary theory into best‑management systems can improve planning effectiveness.

Abstract

Development and implementation of local and regional plans to control nonpoint sources of pollution from agricultural land are major mandates of section 208 of Public Law 92-500. Many planners tend to equate erosion control as measured by the universal soil loss equation with improvements in water quality. Others implement channel management practices which degrade rather than improve water quality and thereby decrease the effectiveness of other efforts to control nonpoint sources. Planners rarely recognize the importance of the land-water interface in regulating water quality in agricultural watersheds. More effective planning can result from the development of "best management systems" which incorporate theory from all relevant disciplines.