The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has released new interactive mappers and models for its online SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) tool. The new models estimate streamflow and the concurrent yields of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and suspended sediment in both monitored and unmonitored inland stream reaches across the country as they feed into […]
One of the greatest threats to the health of the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral system spanning more than 337,000 km2 (130,000 mi2), is the appetite of a reef-eating starfish measuring roughly 30 cm (12 in.) in length. Although the crown-of-thorns starfish is native to the Great Barrier Reef, it responds similarly to […]
Chesapeake Bay, the third-largest estuary in the world, has a chronic nutrient pollution problem. In 2010, gradual runoff pollution from more than 13.6 million people living in the watershed grew to national concern, prompting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set strict total maximum daily load (TMDL) regulations limiting nutrient emissions. Meeting those regulatory […]
A recent Duke University (Durham, N.C.) study makes the first, long-sought evidence linking Gulf of Mexico hypoxia to economic effects. The study, published January in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows hypoxic dead zones in the gulf drive up the price of large shrimp relative to smaller sizes. This effect causes economic […]
Effort will support sustainable GI projects and spur economic growth DC Water (Washington, D.C.) and the Water Environment Federation on Feb. 8 announced (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) they are developing a National Green Infrastructure Certification Program. This program, which will be housed within the WEF Stormwater Institute, will certify individuals who install, inspect, and maintain green […]
A new $3.5 million, 121-ha (300-ac) stormwater park in South Brevard County, Fla., will help protect the Indian River Lagoon ecosystem by filtering runoff from a 8500-ha (21,000-ac) watershed and limiting pollutants from entering the St. Sebastian River, which feeds into the lagoon. The Wheeler Stormwater Park includes a series of settling ponds with the […]
On October 28, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets (VAAFM) released draft required agricultural practices (RAPs). These rules would, for the first time, apply to small Vermont farms. The rules are intended to control and reduce agricultural nonpoint source pollution and nutrient losses from farm fields to surface and groundwater. The goal is […]
According to University of Rhode Island (URI) professor Arthur Gold, beavers can help prevent harmful levels of nitrogen from reaching vulnerable estuaries. URI researchers found that the water retention time and the build-up of organic matter in beaver ponds lead to ideal conditions for nitrogen removal. These conditions can result in removal of 5% to […]
On Aug. 14, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued phosphorus Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for the 12 Vermont segments of Lake Champlain, the sixth-largest freshwater body in the U.S. Despite reductions in phosphorus entering the lake from several of its tributaries, phosphorus concentrations have not significantly decreased in any areas of Lake Champlain. […]
On July 21, Illinois released a final state plan to prevent nutrients from entering waterways and eventually polluting the Gulf of Mexico. The Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy is considered the state’s most comprehensive and integrated approach to nutrient loss reduction and will help prevent millions of pounds of nutrients — from farm fields, city […]
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