Matt Rota

Algae floating in the water column. In the Gulf, algae dies and is consumed by bacteria, causing the Gulf Dead Zone. Photo courtesy of NASAAs we all know at this point that we as a nation are flooding our waterways with nitrogen and phosphorous pollution, which causes drinking water problems, harmful algae blooms, disruption to […]

Pollution flowing from a coal barge in the Mississippi River on 8/25/12. Photo by GRN. Flight provided by SouthWings.orgLately we have been blogging about the impacts of coal terminals and exports in and along the Mississippi River and Gulf Coast. (See past blogs: How Coal Exports Scum up our Wetlands , Coal Terminals Expanding in

Flooded street in Uptown New OrleansWhen rain water lands in New Orleans, it can pick up quite a bit of pollution from roads, parking lots, roofs, lawns, docks, and businesses. Once this water is good and polluted it is pumped out of the city into Lake Pontchartrain, the Mississippi River, and other waterbodies. It is

Over the past few years,we have seen how important storm water management is to our city, our waters, and the wetlands that surround us. Currently, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) is requesting public comments on the Greater New Orleans storm water permit. Pollution and storm water runoff knows no bounds and can impact

For the past seven years GRN has worked with the Mississippi River Collaborative to get limits on nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, reduce the size of the Dead Zone, and generally fight for cleaner and healthier waters and wetlands in the Mississippi River Basin. Just this week, Matt and Andrew at GRN attended a three day

This article is excerpted from Wave Makers News, our quarterly update on all things water in the Gulf of Mexico, check out the full newsletter here.Coal and petroleum coke pollution in the Mississippi River. Photo courtesy of Dubinsky Photography for LeanWeb.org and LMRK.org. Flight courtesy of Southwings.org.If you pay attention to environmental and global warming

Almost three years since the start of the BP disaster, the civil trial over the disaster is just beginning, and there are still more questions than answers about what the long-term impacts will be on the Gulf’s environment and animals. However, we are beginning to learn more about the consequences of the disaster.Check out this

This article is excerpted from Wave Makers News, our quarterly update on all things water in the Gulf of Mexico, check out the full newsletter here.The Bogue Falaya River, one of Louisiana’s Outstanding waters threatened by LDEQ’s rule change. Photo courtesy of Mary Davis, LPBF.October 2012 was the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act,

It’s almost time to gather with our families and friends and give thanks, and, as always, GRN’s Healthy Waters team is thankful for the amazing bounty that the Gulf of Mexico and its rivers, springs and wetlands provide. This extraordinary ecosystem continues to face many challenges, but we’re working hard to protect and restore the

Several news and scientific articles have been published about the Dead Zone in the past few weeks, and they all highlight the importance of reducing nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. Let’s start with a recent two day spread in the Des Moines Star Register. Here is part one, and here is part 2. There are some