.
Proceedings of
1992
projects' administrative and technical aspects. Final-
the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has
developed programs that accelerate soil conserva-
ly, the approach taken to address water
problems
providing Federal cost-share funds to
tion and best management practice
plementation on farms, ranches, highly erodable
producers willing to implement
makes the
lands, and watershed projects. Implementing these
RCWP experiment important as a way to evaluate
programs produces many important benefits, includ-
versus regulatory approaches to the
problems of agricultural
source pollution.
ing increased adoption of soil conservation practices
and
that improve water quality. Many
Because of its unique characteristics as
programs, however, _do not target specific critical
periment in
source control, the RCWP is an
area pollutant sources. With only limited targeting of
important source of insights and technology transfer
pollution sources (and even less water quality
source
for the many ongoing and future
monitoring to document the linkage between land
programs, including the 319 National Monitoring
treatment and water quality), our knowledge of the
Projects, other shorter-term 319 projects, the USDA
water quality benefits in these measures will not ex-
Demonstration and Hydrologic Unit Projects, the
pand appreciably.
Clean Lakes Program, and State
source
programs, among others. Because so many other
New
source control programs must
source programs are being planned and
build on current knowledge to be effective. The
evaluation of the section 108a Great Lakes
conducted, the need for clear articulation and dis-
Demonstration projects showed that
semination of the lessons learned from the RCWP is
source pollution is more persistent and more dif-
even more important. To share these valuable les-
ficult to treat than previously thought (Newell et al.
sons in the most effective way possible, the National
1986). It also showed that using a pollutant runoff
has re-
Water Quality Evaluation Project
stated them as a set of recommendations for a model
model to determine critical areas is an efficient way
to use project funds. In addition, the Model Im-
source pollution control program and
plementation Program (MIP) evaluation demon-
project.
strated that a project should target critical areas for
evaluation of the RCWP has been con-
treatment to improve the likelihood of success, and
ducted to establish a set of recommendations for
that
should be selected and applied to pro-
source pollution con-
developing Federal
mote water quality results (Natl. Water
trol and water quality programs
programs whose
Proj. and Harbridge House,
primary goal is to evaluate the water quality improve-
ments from
source controls. The objectives
Lessons learned from the Rural- Clean Water
Program
provide critical information about
of the evaluation were to assess
source pollution control technologies and
. cooperation among project team members,
approaches for the U.S. Environmental Protection
committees, and agencies;
Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of Agriculture
agreement between the water quality
and other Federal, State, and local
problem and the choice of solutions;
source pollution control agencies and programs. The
RCWP is significant among
source control
project achievements;
programs because it combines land treatment with
results of monitoring and assessment of
water quality monitoring to document the effective-
project impacts; and
ness of
source controls.
project findings to compile lessons learned.
The RCWP has 21 projects located in nearly
every region of the United States that address a wide
range of water quality problems. The program is uni-
Methods
que in that it received a higher level of up-front fund-
ing for a longer period (10 to 15 years) than other
For the program analysis, we reviewed the MIP
federally sponsored
source programs. The
evaluation (Natl. Water Qual. Eval. Proj. and
longevity and dependability of RCWP funds en-
Harbridge House,
and the section 108a
hanced efforts to establish a clear link between
Great Lakes Demonstration Programs (Newell et al.
water quality and land treatment, and several RCWP
1986). We also reviewed literature for the USDA
projects have been able to demonstrate such a link,
President's Water Quality Initiative and the EPA's
The publication of RCWP rules and regulations in
section 319
Source Program (U.S. Environ.
the Federal Register
provided clear
Prot. Agency, 1991). From these reviews we gained
guidelines for RCWP projects, facilitating the
valuable insights on methods that could be used to
program evaluation by standardizing many
the
evaluate the
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