Group Calls on EPA for Mississippi River Cleanup

The Mississippi River Collaborative – a partnership of 13 environmental and legal groups – released a report on Nov. 17, calling for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to perform its duties under the Clean Water Act and compel states along the Mississippi River to take action to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollution flowing into the River and the Gulf. The call for action stems from the in-depth report, “Decades of Delay: EPA Leadership Still Lacking in Protecting America’s Great River,” revealing how the 10 states bordering the Mississippi River are not achieving nutrient reductions on their own. These reductions are necessary to protect the drinking water of millions of Americans and safeguard healthy ecosystems in their waterways. Nutrient pollution stems from multiple sources including soil and fertilizer in runoff from farms – particularly from northern states like Wisconsin, discharges from wastewater treatment facilities, and fertilizer runoff from lawns and gardens in urban areas.