A new report detailing Illinois' progress in curbing the amount of nutrient pollution heading into the Mississippi River shows the state will fall short of its goals.
The latest report on "Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy" (NLRS) shows the state is poised to miss a 2025 goal to reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus heading into its waterways.
"Nutrient levels in Illinois waterways continued to increase in 2021 and 2022 compared to baseline measurements, and the NLRS partnership anticipates the strategy will likely fall short of its 2025 interim goals, particularly for phosphorus," the report notes. "This is despite multi-sector investments in resources and practices that support nutrient loss reduction across the state.
Illinois is one of 12 states on a federal task force focused on reducing the amount of excess nitrogen and phosphorus released into its lakes, rivers and streams.
The goal is not only to make local water sources cleaner, but reduce an annually appearing "dead zone"in the Gulf of Mexico caused by too many nutrient pollutants entering the Gulf from the Mississippi River.
This summer's dead zone spanned 3,058 square miles, which the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science said represents about two million acres of habitat for fish and marine life.
The nutrient pollutants making the area toxic to marine life typically come from sources like runoff from wastewater treatment plants, urban storm-drains and agricultural runoff.
The Illinois NLRS report cites climate change as a major contributing factor to increased streamflow and the overall increased nutrient loads that went into the Mississippi.
Source: wsiu.org
Photo Credit: stream-creek-water-through-field-pexels-adam-sondel
Categories: Illinois, Crops