1992
clearly defined responsibilities of Federal,
and the Director of the U.S. Geological S u r v e y
State, and local agencies and landowners or
(USGS). Or, the Secretary of Agriculture could
operators;
delegate the responsibility of program administra-
tion to the ASCS, which has a long history of pro-
criteria for project selection, approval, and
gram administration and leadership that contributed
implementation;
to
success. Local project funding would
contracting requirements for technical and
have to be received on time through the State ASCS
financial assistance to farm operators:
office. Technical assistance for identifying and
provisions for project funding and
documenting the water quality problem through
termination;
monitoring and evaluation could be provided by
EPA. Technical assistance for land treatment and
requirements for making cost-share
land treatment monitoring would become a joint
payments to participants; and
responsibility of USDA Soil Conservation Service
plans for program and project monitoring and
(SCS) and Extension Services. The Extension Ser-
evaluation.
vice (ES) should be responsible for information,
education, and BMP recommendations. The SCS
The model program guidance will include these
should be
for the development of farm
important features and strengthen water
and
plans and structural
land treatment monitoring, evaluation, and report-
ing.
The Agricultural Research Service
would
also provide technical assistance for developing and
Program guidance would also list the roles of
Technical assistance for water
project staff at the Federal, State, and local levels,
quality monitoring and linking land treatment data to
and would help staff understand the responsibilities
water quality data would be coordinated by EPA,
of interagency counterparts.
with additional technical assistance on sampling, in-
The RCWP objectives were to
strumentation, and data management from USGS
l achieve improved water quality in the most
and ARS.
cost-effective manner possible in keeping with
The model program will also need a national
the provision of adequate supplies of food,
coordinating committee to oversee functions cur-
fiber, and a quality environment;
rently defined for this committee by the
in-
l help agricultural landowners and operators
cluding
reduce agricultural
source pollutants
developing program regulations and
and improve water quality in rural areas to
cost-share rates,
meet water quality standards or goals; and
reviewing technical aspects,
develop and test programs, policies, and pro
l
cedures for the control of agricultural
selecting projects to fund based on a
point source pollution.
technical assessment of likelihood of success,
developing annual project reviews, and
These objectives can be restated as model pro-
gram objectives that are relevant, comprehensive,
reviewing project progress.
and nonoverlapping. Thus, the model program is to
The national coordinating committee should
achieve improved water quality to restore and
have the ability to assign provisional status to
l
protect the designated use of surface or
projects if State or local program staffs are not meet-
groundwater resources,
ing minimum performance standards. In addition,
the committee should have the authority to ter-
help agricultural landowners and operators
l
reduce agricultural
source pollutants
minate projects that fail to meet minimum require-
and habitat perturbations, and
ments after
complete years on provisional status.
develop, test, and evaluate policies and pro-
l
Program Planning. Program planning is neces-
grams to control agricultural
source
sary to ensure adequate attention to all project
pollution.
ments and stages of deveiopment. Problem iden-
tification, the selection of critical areas, and the
Program Administration and Management
development of project proposals precede funding
(Fig. 1). The first two elements may extend into the
The model
source pollution control pro-
first year to allow refinement. Assistance from a tech-
gram should be administered by a single depart-
nical support group is also needed before funding
ment. The USDA would administer the model
and throughout the project.
program in consultation with
EPA Administrator
364
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