Nutrient Loss Reduction in the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin

The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Hypoxia Task Force was established to address the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico caused by excess nutrient loading and to coordinate efforts between the 12 states in the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin to reduce their nutrient runoff. This case study focuses on the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS) and compares it to the strategies implemented by the other Basin states. In the years ahead, farm operators, landowners, and farm managers will be challenged to voluntarily meet nutrient loss goals while balancing the costs of implementing best management practices recommended to reduce the size of the Gulf hypoxic zone.