Policies at local, state, and federal levels impact water quality. Social and economic issues play a part in how decisions are made that ultimately affect water quality. Purdue researchers and educators are investigating social and economic influencers and policy, and how these policies can affect environmental and water quality.
Government Programs and Natural Resource Economics
Government programs like the Farm Bill help deliver agricultural environmental enhancement programs. Agricultural economists Steve Lovejoy, Otto Doering, John Lee, and Edna Loehman conduct research and education on agricultural and natural resource policies and their impact on the economy and environment.
Land Use Planning Policy
The Planning with POWER project is a statewide educational program that links land use planning with watershed planning at the local level. The project is designed to empower communities to prevent and solve natural resource problems resulting from changing land use in growing watersheds and to empower local officials to incorporate watershed protection measures into comprehensive land use plans.
Natural Resources Leadership
The goal of the Natural Resources Leadership Institute is to develop leaders within the natural resources communities who can build collaborative relationships with others around contentious issues. By applying the skills learned in the program, NRLDI graduates will be more knowledgeable about how to work collaboratively with others, build consensus, and find sustainable solutions to complex environmental issues.
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Policy
Despite years of pollution control based on point source discharge limits,
many water bodies in Indiana and the U.S. are still not clean enough to be
considered "fishable and swimmable" according to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). Total Maximum Daily Loads, or TMDLs, are a way of
dealing with those water bodies that remain polluted even after the application
of regulations to industries and sewage treatment plants located in the watershed.
For more information about TMDLs contact Jane
Frankenberger or Ron Turco, or see
the IDEM Web page on TMDL's.
Social Science and Policy Research
Social science research on human behavior, attitudes, and decision making
strategies such as collaborative planning is being conducted by Shorna
Broussard and Linda
Prokopy of the Forestry and Natural Resources Department. This research
endeavors to shed light on how these social factors impact policy making and
environmental outcomes. Environmental policy and property rights research
is also conducted at Purdue by Leigh
Raymond and Robert
Bartlett of the Political Science Department.
Waste Water Treatment Regulations
Septic systems and human waste water treatment has become much more of a regulatory
issue, with new policies being considered in local communities and at the
state level. For more information about legislation and rules on this issue
contact Brad
Lee of the Agronomy Department, or Don
Jones in Agricultural and Biological Engineering.
To print in Netscape click
here
some photos courtesy of NRCS
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Land Use Planning Policy
Bob McCormick Christine
Nolan Natural Resource Economics Otto Doering Steve Lovejoy Natural Resources Leadership Janet Ayers Social Science Research Shorna Broussard Linda Prokopy TMDL Policy Jane Frankenberger Ron Turco Septic System Regulations Brad Lee Don Jones |
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| Updated October 12, 2006 | |
| Purdue Extension | |
For questions regarding the content of this site contact Brent Ladd. For information on the Purdue Extension Water Quality Program contact Jane Frankenberger, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University |
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| EEO Statement | |
