Policy Options

The following priority policy options emerged from a synthesis of the information contained in preceding chapters. Water resource policy formulation requires a thorough understanding of the magnitude of agricultural water impacts and the potential for encouraging technological or non-technological solutions. The options listed below explore the ways in which Congress can use policy tools to implement these solutions, thus providing for improved water resource sustainability. The policies are organized according to the type of water resource problem they most directly address. Each policy option is presented along with its anticipated first-order and potential higher-order impacts.