TY - JOUR T1 - Advancing water resource management in agricultural, rural, and urbanizing watersheds: Why land-grant universities matter JF - Journal of Soil and Water Conservation SP - 337 LP - 348 DO - 10.2489/jswc.68.4.337 VL - 68 IS - 4 AU - A.J. Gold AU - D. Parker AU - R.M. Waskom AU - J. Dobrowolski AU - M. O'Neill AU - P.M. Groffman AU - K. Addy AU - M. Barber AU - S. Batie AU - B. Benham AU - M. Bianchi AU - T. Blewett AU - C. Evensen AU - K. Farrell-Poe AU - C. Gardner AU - W. Graham AU - J. Harrison AU - T. Harter AU - J. Kushner AU - R. Lowrance AU - J. Lund AU - R. Mahler AU - M. McClaran AU - M. McFarland AU - D. Osmond AU - J. Pritchett AU - L. Prokopy AU - C. Rock AU - A. Shober AU - M. Silitonga AU - D. Swackhamer AU - J. Thurston AU - D. Todey AU - R. Turco AU - G. Vellidis AU - L. Wright Morton Y1 - 2013/07/01 UR - http://www.jswconline.org/content/68/4/337.abstract N2 - Federally funded university water programs have had limited success in halting the degradation of water resources in agricultural, rural, and urbanizing watersheds for the past five decades. USDA-funded university water programs have advanced our understanding of watershed processes and the development of best management practices (BMPs; e.g., conservation tillage, nutrient management, alternative and innovative septic systems, and riparian buffers) to mitigate environmental risks from anthropogenic activities, in particular from agriculture, to our water resources; yet water degradation persists and has worsened in many watersheds (Howarth et al. 2000; Mueller and Spahr 2006). The National Research Council (2012) stresses the need for sustainable agricultural practices to reduce changes in flow regimes and water quality. In this research editorial, we make four points relative to solving water resource issues: (1) they are complex problems and difficult to solve; (2) some progress has been made on solving these issues; (3) external nonstationary drivers such as land use changes, climate change and variability, and shifts in markets, policies, and regulations warrant constant vigilance to assure that presumed improvements are being attained; and (4) we are poised to make substantial progress on these challenges over the next 10 to 20 years if critical steps areā€¦ ER -