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Cotton producers are motivated to protect water resources because they and their families are drinking water from wells on their farms. In addition, in the United States producers are subject to state and federal laws that regulate water use and quality. Some examples of such laws are presented below.
- Federal Regulation
- Clean Water Act: Regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through section 319 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) establishes a Non-point Source Management Program that includes oversight of agricultural operations.1
- 2002 Farm Bill: The current farm bill provides a special initiative for ground and surface water conservation, and provides incentives for producers to carry out water conservation activities, including irrigation improvements, conversion to less water intensive crops, and dry-land farming. Such incentives are likely to be preserved in the next Farm Bill.2
- Examples of State Level Regulation:
- Western states (including the cotton states of California, Arizona and New Mexico) have a long history of carefully allocating and monitoring water resources. A summary of all the laws associated with the Western states is available from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at: http://www.blm.gov/nstc/WaterLaws/abstract2.html
- Texas: Water withdraws must be permitted by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission.3
- Mississippi: Water quality and water withdraws are regulated by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality .4
- Tennessee: Under the authority of the Water Resources Information Act of 2002, TCA, Section 69-8-103, water withdrawals of 10,000 gallons or more on any day in Tennessee must be registered.5
- Georgia: The Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission oversee efforts to insure sustainable use of agricultural water resources in the state. Water withdraws require state permits and all agricultural withdraws are metered.
- The examples above are typical of state-level regulation in all Cotton Belt states.
References:
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