Support agricultural water-related research

Research into agricultural technologies has yielded several recent developments for both waste treatment and desalination/purification (USBR, 2001). Should research funding be increased, the pace of new developments is similarly expected to increase. Results may include decreased costs of waste treatment, new methods for aquifer recharge, or more energy-efficient desalination technologies. Research funding increases would give policy makers new and better tools to address water quality and quantity issues in the United States.

Funding for water resource planning is also in need of augmentation. This funding has historically been misguided in two ways. Typically money has been made available for only one level of government to study the problem, rather than allow for studies at different scales (i.e. basin-wide, state-wide and nation-wide). Additionally, monies are usually set aside to look at a specific water resource, such as groundwater, rather than to consider the interrelated nature of the water resources in any given watershed (ASCE, 2001). The funding of more comprehensive studies, such as this one, is crucial if the nation is to successfully manage future water demands.