Water and Wetland Resources: AREI, 2006 Edition

Chapter 1: Land and Farm Resources Chapter 2: Water and Wetland Resources • 2.1 Irrigation Resources and Water Costs • 2.2 Water Quality: Impacts of Agriculture • 2.3 Wetlands Status and Trends Chapter 3: Knowledge Resources and Productivity Chapter 4: Agricultural Production Management Chapter 5: Conservation and Environmental Polices Appendix: Data Sources

Noel Gollehon, LeRoy Hansen, Robert Johansson, William Quinby, and Marc Ribaudo

U.S. agriculture affects both the quality and quantity of the Nation's water resources. This section examines the quantity of water used for irrigation and its cost; the links between agricultural production and water quality; and the status of wetlands. Among the findings:

• Irrigated agriculture remains the dominant use of freshwater in the United States. Still, its share of use is declining despite a 40-percent expansion in irrigated area in the last three decades.
• Agricultural production practices and inputs can result in a number of pollutants-- including sediment, nutrients, pathogens, pesticides, and salts--entering water resources. Agriculture is the leading source of water impairments in the Nation's rivers and lakes.
• Almost half of all wetlands in the 48 contiguous States have been drained since colonial settlement—most for agricultural use. The Nation now appears to be achieving a goal of "no net loss" of wetlands area due, in part, to the conversion of some agricultural lands back to wetlands.

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Water and Wetland Resources