Mississippi River Water Quality and the Clean Water Act

by National Research Council
Mississippi River Water Quality and the Clean Water Act
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2008-02-08
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0309177812
GET BOOK

The Mississippi River is, in many ways, the nation's best known and most important river system. Mississippi River water quality is of paramount importance for sustaining the many uses of the river including drinking water, recreational and commercial activities, and support for the river's ecosystems and the environmental goods and services they provide. The Clean Water Act, passed by Congress in 1972, is the cornerstone of surface water quality protection in the United States, employing regulatory and nonregulatory measures designed to reduce direct pollutant discharges into waterways. The Clean Water Act has reduced much pollution in the Mississippi River from "point sources" such as industries and water treatment plants, but problems stemming from urban runoff, agriculture, and other "non-point sources" have proven more difficult to address. This book concludes that too little coordination among the 10 states along the river has left the Mississippi River an "orphan" from a water quality monitoring and assessment perspective. Stronger leadership from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is needed to address these problems. Specifically, the EPA should establish a water quality data-sharing system for the length of the river, and work with the states to establish and achieve water quality standards. The Mississippi River corridor states also should be more proactive and cooperative in their water quality programs. For this effort, the EPA and the Mississippi River states should draw upon the lengthy experience of federal-interstate cooperation in managing water quality in the Chesapeake Bay.

Improving Water Quality in the Mississippi River Basin and Northern Gulf of Mexico

by Committee on Clean Water Act Implementation Across the Mississippi River Basin
Improving Water Quality in the Mississippi River Basin and Northern Gulf of Mexico
Author: Committee on Clean Water Act Implementation Across the Mississippi River Basin
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 34
Release: 2012-12-31
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309162726
GET BOOK

Most water resources managers, scientists, and other experts would agree that nonpoint source pollution is a more pressing and challenging national water quality problem today than point source pollution. Nonpoint sources of pollutants include parking lots, farm fields, forests, or any source not from a discrete conveyance such as a pipe or canal. Of particular concern across the Mississippi River basin (MRB) are high levels of nutrient loadings--nitrogen and phosphorus--from both nonpoint and point sources that ultimately are discharged into the northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM). Nutrients emanate from both point and nonpoint sources across the river basin, but the large majority of nutrient yields across the MRB are nonpoint in nature and are associated with agricultural activities, especially applications of nitrogen-based fertilizers and runoff from concentrated animal feeding operations. Improving Water Quality in the Mississippi River Basin and Northern Gulf of Mexico offers strategic advice and priorities for addressing MRB and NGOM water quality management and improvements. Although there is considerable uncertainty as to whether national water quality goals can be fully realized without some fundamental changes to the CWA, there is general agreement that significant progress can be made under existing statutory authority and budgetary processes. This book includes four sections identifying priority areas and offering recommendations to EPA and others regarding priority actions for Clean Water Act implementation across the Mississippi River basin. These sections are: USDA's Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative; Numeric Water Quality Criteria for the northern Gulf of Mexico; A Basinwide Strategy for Nutrient Management and Water Quality; and, Stronger Leadership and Collaboration.

Entering the Watershed

by
Entering the Watershed
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 512
Release: 1993-10
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:
GET BOOK

Entering the Watershed is the product of a two-year project established by the Pacific Rivers Council to develop new federal riverine protection and restoration policy alternatives. It recommends a comprehensive new approach to river protection based on principles of watershed dynamics, ecosystem function, and conservation biology -- a nationwide, strategic community- and ecosystem-based watershed restoration initiative. The book: describes in detail the existing level of damage to rivers and species analyzes flaws and gaps in existing policy provides the framework necessary to develop new policies outlines the scientific underpinnings and management strategies needed in new policy makes specific policy proposals

Clean Coastal Waters

by National Research Council
Clean Coastal Waters
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 422
Release: 2000-08-17
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309069483
GET BOOK

Environmental problems in coastal ecosystems can sometimes be attributed to excess nutrients flowing from upstream watersheds into estuarine settings. This nutrient over-enrichment can result in toxic algal blooms, shellfish poisoning, coral reef destruction, and other harmful outcomes. All U.S. coasts show signs of nutrient over-enrichment, and scientists predict worsening problems in the years ahead. Clean Coastal Waters explains technical aspects of nutrient over-enrichment and proposes both immediate local action by coastal managers and a longer-term national strategy incorporating policy design, classification of affected sites, law and regulation, coordination, and communication. Highlighting the Gulf of Mexico's "Dead Zone," the Pfiesteria outbreak in a tributary of Chesapeake Bay, and other cases, the book explains how nutrients work in the environment, why nitrogen is important, how enrichment turns into over-enrichment, and why some environments are especially susceptible. Economic as well as ecological impacts are examined. In addressing abatement strategies, the committee discusses the importance of monitoring sites, developing useful models of over-enrichment, and setting water quality goals. The book also reviews voluntary programs, mandatory controls, tax incentives, and other policy options for reducing the flow of nutrients from agricultural operations and other sources.

From Source Water to Drinking Water

by Institute of Medicine
From Source Water to Drinking Water
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 126
Release: 2004-11-01
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0309165520
GET BOOK

The Institute of Medicine's Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine was established in 1988 as a mechanism for bringing the various stakeholders together to discuss environmental health issues in a neutral setting. The members of the Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine come from academia, industry, and government. Their perspectives range widely and represent the diverse viewpoints of researchers, federal officials, and consumers. They meet, discuss environmental health issues that are of mutual interest, and bring others together to discuss these issues as well. For example, they regularly convene workshops to help facilitate discussion of a particular topic. The Rountable's fifth national workshop entitled From Source Water to Drinking Water: Ongoing and Emerging Challenges for Public Health continued the theme established by previous Roundtable workshops, looking at rebuilding the unity of health and the environment. This workshop summary captures the discussions and presentations by the speakers and participants, who identified the areas in which additional research was needed, the processes by which changes could occur, and the gaps in our knowledge.

Municipal Wastewater Treatment

by Andrew Stoddard
Municipal Wastewater Treatment
Author: Andrew Stoddard
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 672
Release: 2003-03-20
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0471463523
GET BOOK

A thorough analysis of public policy and the Clean Water Act'seffect on water quality in the U.S. Using water quality data and historical records from the past 60years, this book presents the measured impact of the 1972 CleanWater Act on domestic waterways-ecologically, politically, andeconomically. Municipal Wastewater Treatment supports thehypothesis that the Act's regulation of wastewater treatmentprocesses at publicly owned treatment works (POTW) and industrialfacilities has achieved significant success. The authors' case ispresented in: * Background information on the history of water pollution controland water quality management * Chapters addressing long-term trends in biochemical oxygen demandloadings from municipal wastewater plants and the "worst-case"dissolved oxygen levels in waterways downstream of point sourcesbefore and after the Clean Water Act * Nine case study assessments of long-term trends of pollutantloading water quality and environmental resources associated withPOTW discharges Using long-term trends in dissolved oxygen as the key indicator ofwater quality improvements, this book provides a detailedretrospective analysis of the effectiveness of the water pollutioncontrol policies and regulations of the 1972 Clean Water Act. Thesuccesses of the Act that have been achieved over the past 30 yearsare placed in the historical context of the "Great SanitaryAwakening" of the 19th century and changes in public policies forwater supply and water pollution control that have evolved duringthe 20th century to protect public health and the intrinsic valueof aquatic resources. Case study sites include the ConnecticutRiver, Hudson-Raritan Estuary, Delaware Estuary, Potomac Estuary,Upper Chattahoochee River, Ohio River, Upper Mississippi River, andWillamette River. Complete with end-of-chapter summaries and conclusions, MunicipalWastewater Treatment: Evaluating Improvements in National WaterQuality is an essential book for engineers, scientists, regulators,and consultants involved in water quality management and wastewatertreatment, as well as students of environmental engineering,environmental science, and public policy.