** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE US HAS RECENTLY ESTABLISHED CONSERVATION TARGETS TO PROTECT 30% OF THE COUNTRY'S LAND BY 2030. WHILE PART OF THIS GOAL CAN LIKELY BE MET BY MODIFYING ALLOWABLE USES OF EXISTING GOVERNMENT-OWNED LANDS (E.G., OIL AND GAS LEASES), A LARGE FRACTION OF THIS ADDITIONAL CONSERVATION AREA WILL LIKELY NEED TO COME FROM LANDS CURRENTLY USED FOR AGRICULTURE. BECAUSE AGRICULTURE IS THE PRIMARY WATER CONSUMER ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN (MRB) AND THE US, AND A MAJOR SOURCE OF N POLLUTION TO SURFACE AND GROUNDWATER, LAND CONVERSATION GOALS AIMED AT BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION COULD ALSO OFFER SUBSTANTIAL BENEFITS FOR IMPROVING SUSTAINABLE WATER USE AND SUPPLY, BOTH IN TERMS OF QUANTITY AND QUALITY. IDENTIFYING CONFIGURATIONS OF AGRICULTURAL LAND CONSERVATION PAYMENTS THAT COULD BEST CONTRIBUTE TO THIS 30% TARGET WHILE ACHIEVING OTHER CO-BENEFITS (INCLUDING REDUCED STREAMFLOW DEPLETION, IMPROVED WATER QUALITY, AND MORE SECURE URBAN AND RURAL SUPPLY) IS AN IMPORTANT STEP IN PRIORITIZING THESE LAND CONSERVATION DECISIONS.THE CENTRAL GOAL OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS TO QUANTIFY CURRENT SPATIAL PATTERNS OF STREAMFLOW DEPLETION AND NITROGEN (N) POLLUTION FROM CROPLANDS ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN (MRB) AND TO IDENTIFY CONFIGURATIONS OF TARGETED LAND CONSERVATION PAYMENTS THAT CAN MAXIMIZE WATER AVAILABILITY BENEFITS (I.E., INCREASED WATER QUANTITY AND IMPROVED WATER QUALITY). THE GUIDING HYPOTHESIS OF THIS RESEARCH IS THAT PAYMENTS FROM LAND CONSERVATION PROGRAMS CAN BE SPATIALLY TARGETED TO IMPROVE WATER AVAILABILITY OUTCOMES ACROSS THE MRB. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH DIRECTLY ADDRESSES THE INFORMATION NEEDS OF POLICY-MAKERS, USDA PROGRAM AGENCIES, AND RESEARCHERS AND ALIGNS CLOSELY WITH USDA STRATEGIC PLANS, AS WELL AS CONSERVATION GOALS OF THE CURRENT US ADMINISTRATION, ESPECIALLY THAT OF PROTECTING 30% OF U.S. LAND BY 2030. DUE TO THE HETEROGENEOUS NATURE OF BOTH WATER DEMANDS AND AVAILABILITY IN THE MRB, LAND CONSERVATION EFFORTS CAN PRODUCE VASTLY DIFFERENT OUTCOMES FOR WATER SUSTAINABILITY DEPENDING ON WHERE THEY OCCUR. TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHERE CONSERVATION EFFORTS MAY BE MOST EFFECTIVE FOR MEETING MRB WATER GOALS, WE DEVELOP AN INTEGRATED HYDRO-ECONOMIC MODELING APPROACH THAT 1) QUANTIFIES THE CURRENT STATE OF WATER AVAILABILITY (QUANTITY AND QUALITY) IN THE MRB, AND 2) IDENTIFIES OPTIMAL TARGETING OF PAYMENTS THROUGH TWO EXISTING LAND CONSERVATION PROGRAMS - THE CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM AND THE WETLAND RESERVE EASEMENT PROGRAM - IN ORDER TO MAXIMIZE WATER AVAILABILITY BENEFITS. THE FINDINGS OF THIS RESEARCH WILL BE DISSEMINATED TO STAKEHOLDERS THROUGH PUBLICATIONS, BRIEFINGS, AND CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS. THIS PROJECT HAS THREE MAIN OBJECTIVES: 1) ESTIMATE SPATIAL PATTERNS OF CURRENT IRRIGATION WATER CONSUMPTION AND NATURAL FLOW DEPLETION; 2) IDENTIFY NITROGEN HOT SPOTS AND RESTORABLE WETLAND AREA TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY; AND 3) ASSESS PAYMENT TARGETING TO MAXIMIZE WATER AVAILABILITY UNDER LAND CONSERVATION PROGRAMS.THIS PROJECT LEVERAGES THE PREVIOUS WORK OF OUR INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH TEAM, WHICH HAS QUANTIFIED SPATIALLY-DETAILED CROP WATER REQUIREMENTS AND WATER DEMAND ACROSS THE US; PROVIDED LONG-TERM, COUNTY-SCALE N BUDGETS FOR THE US; DEVELOPED ESTIMATES OF POTENTIAL WATER QUALITY BENEFITS OF WETLAND RESTORATION; AND HAS IDENTIFIED OPTIMAL CONFIGURATIONS OF US CROPLAND TO ACHIEVE ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES. ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES OF THIS PROPOSED PROJECT WILL BE THE DEVELOPMENT OF TARGETED LAND CONSERVATION PAYMENT REGIMES WITH THE POTENTIAL TO INCREASE WATER QUANTITY AND IMPROVE WATER QUALITY ACROSS THE MRB, AS WELL AS THE CREATION OF PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATASETS THAT WILL AID IN BOTH POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF CONSERVATION STRATEGIES.