EPA, Universities to Partner on Nutrient Pollution and Hypoxic Zone Study
May 22, 2014 The Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force has announced a partnership with 12 land grant universities to support state-level strategies and actions to curb water pollution.
Authorized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Hypoxia Task Force is a partnership of five federal agencies, tribes, and environmental quality, agricultural, and conservation agencies from 12 basin states working to address nutrient pollution and the hypoxic zone, or dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.
The agreement is the first for the task force with non-governmental entities, and includes five universities in Cotton Belt states – University of Arkansas, Mississippi State University, University of Tennessee, University of Missouri and Louisiana State University.
Other institutions involved in the program are Purdue University, University of Illinois, University of Kentucky, Ohio State University, University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin and Iowa State University.
According to the EPA task force, these universities are already conducting research on issues like soil conservation, water quality and how nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus travel in water bodies. University scientists and policy experts are working to put science into practice by providing educational programs for farmers, local businesses, and conservation and watershed management professionals.
Individual states are already collaborating with their respective land grant universities on local water quality research and agricultural programs. This new collaborative network will bring additional expertise to help reduce nutrient runoff and advise the task force and other national policy makers.
Additional information about the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force is available online.
Source – EPA
GET THE NEWSLETTER TODAY!
