Back in July, I blogged that the second largest Dead Zone ever measured had developed in the Gulf.Though the Dead Zone was almost 8,000 square miles, you might be surprised to know thatLouisiana does not officially acknowledge that this polluted area exists!The New Jersey-sized Dead Zone is a real problem that threatens Louisiana’s fishing economy and the health of the Gulf every year. Admitting that there is a problem is always thefirst step in solving it.The Clean Water Act requires States to list all waters that are polluted – the first step in prioritizing them for clean-up. Currently,most of the coastal waters and the Mississippi River are not listed by Louisiana as being polluted and needing a real cleanup plan, despite the fact that they are loaded with the nitrogen and phosphorus pollution that causes the Dead Zone.Please take a moment tosend a letterto EPA and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and tell them to make sure that Louisiana admits there is a problem and works with the EPA to clean-up the Dead Zone and the Mississippi River!http://action.healthygulf.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26072Matt Rota is GRN’sWater Resources Program DirectorBlog updated for clarity on July 22, 2010
