Why is understanding pesticide use important?
The strong correlations of pesticides found with the amounts and characteristics of pesticides used can help managers to anticipate and prioritize the pesticides most likely to affect water quality in different land-use settings. For those pesticides that are still being applied, reducing their use is likely to be the most effective way to reduce their concentrations in the hydrologic system, particularly for streams. For organochlorine pesticide compounds derived from past use, farm management practices that control the erosion of soil are likely to help reduce their transport to streams.
