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1 Key Findings

· Significant water quality impairment, forest loss, and wetland loss have occurred in the South since the time of European settlement; however, water quality has generally improved since the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972.

· Based on a national watershed characterization program, approximately 30 percent of the South has relatively good water quality, 36 percent has moderate water quality problems, and 15 percent has more serious water quality problems; approximately 19 percent of the South, primarily in western Texas, does not have sufficient information to provide a characterization of the status of water quality.

· The leading causes (pollutants) of water quality impairment in the South from 1988 to 1998 were siltation (sedimentation), pathogens (bacteria), and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous).

· The leading sources of water quality impairment in the South from 1988 to 1998 were agriculture and urbanization; silviculture ranked 10^th out of the 11 major sources of impairment during this time.

· Approximately 70 percent of all pollution came from nonpoint sources.

· Southern forests are a vital factor in maintaining and improving water quality in the South. Forested watersheds have consistently been shown to have lower sediment and nutrient yields with better aquatic biological conditions than non-forested watersheds.

· The primary factor affecting the future of water quality in the South is control of nonpoint-source pollution from agriculture and urbanization, primarily urban sprawl.

· The future of water quality in the South is highly dependent on the success of future mandates and programs such as the Clean Water Action Plan, Unified Watershed Assessment restoration priorities, as well as citizen involvement in watershed protection, including public education and voluntary initiatives. .

· Agencies responsible for monitoring water quality in the South should develop standard assessment and reporting criteria for determining the causes and sources of impairment and describing the level of confidence in the classification.