News

EPA likes Iowa’s nutrient reduction plan

Iowa’s draft Nutrient Reduction Strategy is getting high marks from EPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks. 

“The EPA views the draft Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy as a great start to set in motion actions that will begin to yield measurable nutrient pollution reductions from point and nonpoint sources,” Brooks said. “EPA looks forward to working collaboratively with IDALS (Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship) and IDNR (Iowa Department of Natural Resources) on implementation of the strategy to achieve our mutual goals of water quality improvement in Iowa.”  

Brooks says EPA has offered recommendations to strengthen the policy considerations and point and nonpoint source sections of the document. And the agency made a number of recommendations to be addressed during implementation of Iowa’s nutrient reduction efforts. 

The strategy is in response to the 2008 Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan that calls for plans from the dozen states along the Mississippi River to reduce the nutrient load into the Gulf of Mexico.

Link to news release on EPA Region 7 web site