Put the Land Back on the Land: A National Imperative

Abstract

The Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (RHA1899), the Soil Conservation Act of 1935 (SCA1935), and the Clean Water Act (CWA1972) were pivotal in managing United States (US) waters. RHA1899 provided the Army Corps of Engineers authority to regulate dredge and fill operations. SCA1935 authorized the US Department of Agriculture to combat soil erosion. CWA1972 empowered the US Environmental Protection Agency to regulate point-source pollution. The implementation of the European Soil Charter of 1972 and the 2000 European Water Framework Directive empowered Europe to address similar soil erosion and water quality problems. By 2022, improvements in erosion losses were obtained with soil conservation programs, but continued losses of organic topsoil threatened soil health, human welfare, and water ecosystems. Worldwide losses, estimated at 24 billion tonnes per year, include US and European losses of ~3 billion and 970 million tonnes per year, respectively. Approximately 60% of eroded materials are delivered to rivers and lakes threatening waters. Dredged freshwater sediments, however, have beneficial uses including restoring health of agricultural and forestry lands and water resources. National initiatives involving defense, agriculture, and environmental governmental units are proposed for recycling organic, nutrient-rich aquatic sediments in world-wide Put the Land Back on the Land programs.