Agricultural nonpoint source water pollution policy: The case of California's Central Coast

Nonpoint sources of pollution, primarily from agricultural sources, are a major cause of water quality impairment. Yet policies to address this issue remain underexplored in the literature. This article first reviews the agricultural nonpoint source (NPS) pollution policy literature and categorizes...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Agriculture, ecosystems & environment ecosystems & environment, 2008-11, Vol.128 (3), p.151-161
Main Authors: Dowd, Brian M., Press, Daniel, Huertos, Marc Los
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
agricultural policy
Agricultural runoff
Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions
Best management practice
Biological and medical sciences
California
Discharge waiver
environmental impact
eutrophication
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General agroecology
General agroecology. Agricultural and farming systems. Agricultural development. Rural area planning. Landscaping
General agronomy. Plant production
Generalities. Agricultural and farming systems. Agricultural development
literature reviews
Nonpoint source pollution
Policy
policy analysis
pollution
pollution control
public policy
Soil and water pollution
Soil science
Water
water pollution
water quality
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Summary:Nonpoint sources of pollution, primarily from agricultural sources, are a major cause of water quality impairment. Yet policies to address this issue remain underexplored in the literature. This article first reviews the agricultural nonpoint source (NPS) pollution policy literature and categorizes its major findings. The North American literature, in particular, rarely analyses NPS policies already in force, and pays even less attention to overcoming implementation barriers to reaching desired environmental outcomes. Second, this paper evaluates a newly adopted policy approach that addresses nonpoint sources of nutrient contaminants in the surface waters of one of the United States’ most agriculturally productive and environmentally pristine areas, California's Central Coast. The article then reveals the political, budgetary and technical barriers faced by farmers, regulators, and other stakeholders. The article concludes by arguing that more analyses of implemented policies designed to address agricultural NPS pollution will better inform both local-level and federal policymakers towards the successful creation and implementation of policies that achieve environmental outcomes.
ISSN:0167-8809
1873-2305
DOI:10.1016/j.agee.2008.05.014