In 2011, the Watershed Task Force called upon the 12 states along the Mississippi River to develop their own nutrient reduction strategy. Working together, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences developed a proposed strategy.
The Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy is a science and technology-based framework that was designed to assess and reduce nutrients in Iowa waters and the Gulf of Mexico. It involves reducing both nitrogen & phosphorus loading to the Gulf of Mexico by 45 percent following the recommended framework provided by the Environmental Protection Agency. The strategy encourages voluntary efforts to reduce nutrients in surface water from both point and nonpoint sources in a scientific, reasonable, and cost-effective manner.
Iowa’s nutrient reduction strategy is the first time an integrated approach involving both point and nonpoint sources has been attempted, and Iowa is only the second state to complete a statewide nutrient reduction strategy. Iowa’s commitment to responsible land stewardship and original responses to problems will keep Iowa’s economy strong.
Photo Credit: Bill Whittaker (CC By-SA 3.0)