Water Quality

This fact sheet provides information spanning fiscal years 1988 through 1992 on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs that provide cost-sharing for water quality activities. "Cost-share payments" refer to money given to producers--generally eligible farmers and ranchers--to implement USDA-approved water quality activities on their land. GAO discusses (1) USDA's programs providing cost-share payments to producers to protect or enhance water quality; (2) activities that protect or enhance water quality, in particular, those activities eligible for cost-sharing under these programs; and (3) the funding of these programs.

GAO found that: (1) three of the ten programs are dedicated solely to enhancing or protecting water quality, while the other seven programs have water quality as a secondary benefit; (2) the 10 programs provide for a total of 92 activities that protect or enhance water quality and are eligible for cost-share funding; (3) activities eligible for cost-share funding include well testing, the planting of vegetative cover, irrigation work, and habitat management; (4) appropriated funding for the ten programs totalled about $1.71 billion in fiscal year 1991, with about $62.5 million used for water quality activities and $39.7 million used to provide cost-share payments; and (5) the Agricultural Conservation Program is the largest water quality cost-share program, using about two-thirds of the $39.7 million in total cost-share payments.