States' Progress in Nutrient Loss Reduction

On December 14, 2021, the Hypoxia Task Force (HTF) met.  This group, with representatives from 12 states, one tribe and an impressive array of federal agencies, coordinates the activities of the participating groups in attempting to move forward the Nutrient Reduction Strategy with a goal of 45% lower levels of nutrient loss from the land to the Mississippi River and the Gulf.  The HTF was formed in 1997.  The deadline for achieving the nutrient reduction goal keeps moving back.  

Each state has developed its own nutrient reduction strategy to meet its needed share of the nutrient loss reduction.  The map to the right shows the priority watersheds that have been designated in each state as a focus of work.   Progress on the goal is reported every five years, with the last one in 2018 and the next one due in 2023.  

This process has not been universally successful at reducing nutrient losses.  There has been significant success at reducing losses from point sources, but nonpoint sources (i.e. agriculture) are not showing the same level of success.

 Areas of improvement that could be pursued by the Hypoxia Task Force:
1.  States should move to reporting tools that are helpful in understanding the scale of change needed.  This article by the Iowa Environmental Council does a good job of explaining how just recording the number of projects doesn't help really measure progress unless the total number of projects that need to be undertaken is actually known.  They site the website that Kentucky is now using to track progress as a positive example.  

2.  The Hypoxia Task Force should be expanded to include one or more non-governmental entities, for example a non-profit organization like the Mississippi River Network, to represent this sector.  This will increase public participation in the work of the Task Force as well.  

To really make a dent in the nutrient loss that is washing into the Mississippi will require significant change in behavior of people throughout the basin.  This can't be accomplished by agency actions alone.  Public engagement and buy-in is necessary.  

In a December 20 article "Illinois — a major feeder to the Gulf of Mexico dead zone — falls behind federal goal to reduce phosphorus and nitrogen flowing into its waterways", Morgan Greene wrote for the Chicago Tribune:    By 2025, Illinois aims to reduce nitrogen and nitrate by 15% and phosphorus by 25%, with a goal of greater long-term reductions.  Instead, averaged from 2015 to 2019, nitrogen loads increased by 13% compared with a baseline period from 1980 to 1996, and phosphorus loads increased by 35%, according to the latest biennial report on the state’s reduction strategy, released this fall.

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The LWV UMRR Blog has covered many aspects of nutrient loss strategies and the Dead Zone in the Gulf.  You can read more about them at the links below:

•  Nutrient pollution
• Farm Bill
• Government policy
• Outreach and engagement

Nutrient loss reduction is a major goal of the LWV UMRR, and we work through education and advocacy to promote policies and practices in this direction.

Here is a quote from comments that the Mississippi River Network's Masiah Kahn made at the December 14 HTF virtual public meeting:

 This annual public meeting is the only opportunity that the public, non-profit organizations, and other stakeholders get to engage the Task Force as a whole – and we think the Task Force can do much better to encourage and enable robust public participation in a meeting like this.

I echo the concerns raised about the fact that despite incremental progress in reduction strategies and the increased adoption of innovative conservation practices, we are nowhere near the interim target of reducing nitrogen and phosphorus loading by 20 percent by 2025. We can no longer keep doing the same thing and expecting different results. It’s also hard to see the forest for the trees when the Task Force’s overarching goals are not front and center in meetings like this. 

You can find the presentations and comments from Dec 14 Hypoxia Task Force meeting at this link.