Today, researchers from Louisiana State University (LSU) and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) announced that the 8,776 square mile (New Jersey-sized) Dead Zone is the largest Dead Zone on record. The Dead Zone is fueled by fertilizer pollution flowing down the Mississippi River from the American heartland, which causes massive algae blooms that use […]
The Louisiana Senate will be voting on Senate Bill 132 within the next couple of hours. This bill would change the Louisiana Scenic Rivers Act to allow unlimited dreding and clearing in some of our Scenic Rivers, including the Amite River, Pearl River, Tchefuncte River, Bogue Falaya River, Abita River, Comite River, and Bayou Manchac.Dredging
URGENT. Call your LA State Senator TODAY. Protect our Scenic Rivers! Read More »
Clean water is not a partisan issue. Along with clean air and soil, water is a necessity for our communities, commerce and literally all life. Regretfully the Trump administration believes that laws enacted to protect our water from sewage, lead, mercury and other pollutants may be ” burdensome.’ What they mean is they are considering
Clean Water is Not a Burden Read More »
New Report Reveals Most States Failing to Manage Nitrogen & Phosphorus PollutionThe Mississippi River Collaborative (MRC) today released a report that implores the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take specific actions to regulate excess nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in state waters along the Mississippi River because those 10 states haven’t achieved any significant pollution
Mississippi River Collaborative Calls on EPA to Reduce Mississippi River Pollution Read More »
For years, Tampa Bay communities have lived with a polluted Bay. Because of aging infrastructure, poor decisions, climate change and extreme weather events, sewage frequently flows directly into our water and onto our beaches.Take action now to stop the sewage crisis!Most recently, Hurricane Hermine overwhelmed the sewage systems of St. Petersburg, Tampa and Clearwater, resulting
Tampa Bay Deserves a Voice! Read More »
In response to the sewage overflows in St. Petersburg, FL, a draft Consent Order [pdf] has been released by St. Petersburg and Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection. Proposed improvements in the draft include:Increasing the capacity of the Southwest Reclamation Facility (cost $21.7 M)Construct two additional injection wells for disposal of treated sewage cost ($12.2 M)Albert
St. Petersburg Sewage Update Read More »
Due to massive rainfalls earlier this month during Hurricane Hermine, St. Petersburg sewage treatment systems began discharging partially treated sewage, comingled with rain water, into Tampa Bay. This has resulted in over 111 million gallons of sewer overflows in the Bay.While this obviously constitutes a failure in St. Petersburg infrastructure and a threat to public
St. Petersburg – 20 Days of Sewage Read More »
Tackling the Dead Zone isn’t an easy task. About 40% of the continental United States drains into the Mississippi River, and regretfully with all that water comes a lot of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. This is the pollution that causes the Gulf Dead Zone. With such a large drainage area it is a constant struggle
Chicago Sewage and the Dead Zone Read More »
Rivers like the Tchefucncte, Tangipahoa, and Bayou Cane that flow into Lake Pontchartrain hold a special place in the hearts of those that boat, canoe, kayak, swim and fish in them. Regretfully, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality has proposed weakening the pollution standards that apply to these rivers, some of which are designated as
Protect Lake Pontchartrain’s Rivers Read More »
The annual Dead Zone research cruise aboard the R/V Pelican started on Tuesday. So far it seems like they are seeing relatively calm seas and predictions of another large Dead Zone. We very well might see a large Dead Zone, as the Mississippi River is at record levels, which means tons of Dead Zone-causing nitrogen
Follow the Dead Zone Researchers in the Gulf! Read More »