STATE WATER QUALITY COORDINATION PROGRAM.

SEC. 1483. STATE WATER QUALITY COORDINATION PROGRAM. (a) Establishment.— The Secretary shall require the establishment of a water quality coordination program within each State. To the greatest extent possible, the Secretary shall use the expertise of the food and agricultural councils. (b) Membership.— Each State water quality coordination program shall involve those departmental agencies specified in subsection (c) that are operating within the State. For the purpose of coordination, the State water quality coordination program shall include, should they choose to participate, those State agencies with complementary water program authorities and programs. These State agency members should include the State agencies that are members of the respective State’s soil and water conservation committees. The program shall also include the education program coordinator designated under section 1629(b). (c) Agencies.— The agencies referred to in subsection (b) are: the Agricultural Research Service; the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service; the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service; the Cooperative State Research Service in conjunction with the system of State agricultural experiment stations; the Economic Research Service; the Extension Service, in conjunction with State and county cooperative extension services; the Forest Service; the National Agricultural Library; the National Agricultural Statistics Service; the Soil Conservation Service; and other agencies within the Department deemed appropriate by the Secretary. (d) Program Leader.— The program leader of the State water quality coordination program shall be designated by the Secretary from among the Federal agency representatives in subsection (b). (e) Purpose.— The water quality coordination program within each State shall serve as the focal point for coordinating the Department’s water programs with agencies of that State. In addition to other actions, each water quality coordination program shall— (1) serve as the focal point within the State for the coordination of Department-supported agricultural water programs with104 STAT. 3624 the water programs being conducted by other Federal agencies within the State; (2) coordinate departmental activities with other Federal activities, within the State with water quality plans developed by that State in accordance with applicable Federal and State laws; (3) review progress being made on identification and mapping of hydrologic units within that State; and (4) review the needs of that State to assess the Federal assistance required for State programs to address agricultural sources of water contamination. (f) Advisory Panels.— The chair of the water quality coordination program in each State may establish an ad hoc advisory panel that shall include farmers, representatives of conservation groups, and advocates of sustainable agricultural practices, agribusiness, chemical and fertilizer industries, agricultural commodities, lending institutions, and trade organizations. (g) State and Regional Research Priorities.— The water quality coordination program for each State shall request appropriate representative scientists from the Agricultural Research Service, the State agricultural experiment stations and the agricultural departments of the land-grant universities, to work with the water quality coordination program to establish a prioritized agriculture and water research agenda for the State. This agenda shall address the research topics identified in section 1484 and the concerns or findings established by the activities described in subsection (e)(4). The State research priorities identified under this subsection shall be compiled and reviewed by the appropriate regional and area divisions of the Cooperative State Research Service and the Agricultural Research Service to develop coordinated regional research priorities.