Mississippi River Basin

Mississippi River Basin

Gulf Hypoxia

Each year an area of water off the Gulf of Mexico’s northern shore exhibits low oxygen, or hypoxic, conditions. The size of the zone has increased over time, averaging about 15,000 square kilometers in recent years. Although there are many sources of nutrients contributing to the formation of hypoxic conditions, agricultural nonpoint source pollution has been identified as one of the primary causes.

Click on Image to enlarge
Image shows the Mississippi River Basin as well as the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxic Zone. The Hypoxic Zone is highlighted in red. Source: Graphic taken from The Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force website. http://www.epa.gov/msbasin/marb.htm

The initial response established a federal-state task force and produced an action plan in 2001. The action plan called for reducing the size of the hypoxic zone to 5,000 square kilometers by 2015, improving water quality within the basin, and improving economic conditions across the basin. The 2001 Action Plan identified the need for increased assistance to producers for voluntary implementation of conservation practices that would help reduce nitrogen runoff and leaching.

Practices were applied through USDA programs within the Mississippi River Basin including CTA, WRP, CRP (including CREP), and EQIP including:

2.6 million acres of conservation buffers applied (FY00-08)
1.7 million acres of wetlands created, restored, or enhanced (FY00-08)
24 million acres of nutrient management systems applied (FY00-08)
28 million acres of residue management applied (FY 00-08)
24 million acres of erosion control practice applied (FY 05-08)
2.3 million acres of water management applied (FY05-08)

Due to conservation programs implemented by producers, cropland erosion rates in the Mississippi River Basin have been reduced 42% from 1983 to 2003 according to the 2003 USDA National Resources Inventory.

Over the past two years, the task force conducted a reassessment culminating in a revision to the 2001 Action Plan. The 2008 Action Plan describes 11 actions for achieving the 3 goals identified: a coastal goal for reducing the size of the hypoxic zone, a within basin goal to restore, protect the waters of the 31 states, and a quality of life goal to improve communities and economic conditions including the agricultural, fisheries, and recreational sectors. The Plan places more emphasis on accelerating nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) reductions through state led (and federally supported) nutrient reduction strategies and retains the 2015 time frame for reducing the extent of the hypoxic zone but also recognizes that this may not be possible. The plan suggests that at least a 45% reduction in total nitrogen and phosphorus loads may be needed to improve water quality in the basin and reduce the size of the zone to 5000 sq. km.

Voluntary conservation programs have been delivered through NRCS and partners for more than 70 years with documented successes in the Mississippi Basin. Further reductions in nutrient loads from agricultural nonpoint sources will require appropriate conservation practices applied at or near the point of origin to avoid, control, and trap nutrients to reduce downstream loads. Implementation of state led strategies with federal assistance from USDA and others can help accelerate reduction of nutrients within the basins to achieve local and coastal goals of the hypoxia Action Plan.

The relationship between changes in management practices and when those changes will be seen in nutrient loads to rivers is not well understood. The Conservation Effects Project (CEAP) is an ongoing NRCS led effort to define environmental benefits of natural resource conservation programs. Model results specific to nutrients in the Upper Mississippi River sub-basin are expected during 2009 with the remaining Mississippi sub-basins to follow. CEAP should provide the foundation for tracking further reductions in nutrients resulting from conservation practices applied by producers and in improving effectiveness of conservation practices in reducing nutrients.

Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative
12-state initiative to reduce nutrient runoff into the Mississippi. Find out how producers, partners, and conservation programs are going to make America's Great River greater.

News Release: SECRETARY VILSACK ANNOUNCES 41 WATERSHEDS TO TAKE PART IN MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN INITIATIVE
41 watersheds in 12 states, known as Focus Areas, have been selected to participate in a new initiative to improve water quality and the overall health of the Mississippi River Basin.

Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative Map and List
41 watersheds in the 12 Mississippi River Basin Initiative (MRBI) states known as Focus Areas were selected by NRCS State Conservationists based on potential for avoiding, controlling, and trapping nutrients and improving water quality in selected watersheds within the Mississippi River Basin.