EPA Provides Additional Funding to Reduce Excess Nutrients in Gulf of Mexico Watershed

The Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force (HTF) is a partnership composed of 12 states, five federal agencies, and a representative for tribes working collaboratively to reduce nutrient pollution in the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB) and the extent of the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico at the mouth of the Mississippi River.  

This week, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it will provide an additional $840,000 to the 12 state members of the Hypoxia Task Force (HTF). This is in addition to the $1.2 million the Agency already announced in August 2019. Collectively, EPA’s funding of over $2 million is helping HTF states implement plans that accelerate progress on reducing excess nutrients and improving water quality in the MARB.

“By providing this new round of funding, EPA is further empowering our state partners to build on their ongoing efforts to update nutrient management plans, develop water quality trading programs, and demonstrate best practices in high-priority watersheds,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water David Ross. “Recognizing and supporting efforts that are developed through state leadership is a key component of the Trump administration’s multi-pronged approach to reducing excess nutrients in our nation’s waters.”

“Through state, tribal and federal partnerships, the Hypoxia Task Force works to collectively mitigate and reduce hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico by supporting nutrient management efforts,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Jim Gulliford. “Here in Region 7, a combined $140,000 in funding will help Iowa and Missouri continue to implement water quality solutions designed to reduce excess nutrients in waterways throughout the greater Mississippi River Basin.

Excess nutrients that make their way into our nation’s surface waters can contribute to algae blooms, hypoxic zones, and other water quality concerns. The HTF provides direction and support for federal and state initiatives to improve water quality in local waterways and the Gulf of Mexico. Today’s funding announcement supports state strategies, which the HTF has recognized as a cornerstone for reducing nutrient loads to the Gulf and throughout the basin.

“As the co-chair of the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force, I’m fortunate to work alongside 12 other state leaders, the EPA, and other federal agencies to guide the implementation of water quality and soil health practices that will help reduce the size, severity, and duration of the hypoxia zone in the Gulf,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “As states continue implementing their nutrient reduction plans, they need additional funding to build upon the successful water quality projects underway. I am very grateful that the EPA is doubling down on its water quality investment in the HTF states. In Iowa, we are adding practices at the fastest pace in our state’s history. We’re continuously looking for ways to scale up outreach, design, engineering, and construction to put even more projects on the ground, and find new ways to measure our success.”

For more information on EPA’s efforts to support the Hypoxia Task Force, visit www.epa.gov/ms-htf.