Study calls for rules on fertilizer

Both the federal government and Mississippi River basin states should start setting pollution limits on the nutrients commonly found in farm fertilizers that wash into the river and ultimately end up in the Gulf of Mexico, a new study by the National Research Council concludes.

That study, conducted at the behest of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, recommends launching a national initiative aimed at improving water quality throughout the Mississippi River basin states, which include Illinois and Missouri.

Nitrogen and phosphorus are the key nutrients responsible for causing the Gulf of Mexico's dead zone, an area the size of Massachusetts where depleted oxygen levels have resulted in widespread fish kills. Agribusiness contributes to the dead zone as corn and soybean cultivation are the largest sources of nitrogen in the Gulf, while the application of manure on pastures is to blame for its phosphorus levels, studies show.

The study's release Thursday follows an announcement earlier this week that St. Louis-based Monsanto Co. plans to fund $5 million in voluntary programs aimed at reducing nutrient and sediment runoff into the Mississippi River. That effort also is being supported by the Iowa Soybean Association, the Nature Conservancy, Delta Wildlife and the National Audubon Society.


In addition to setting nutrient limits, the National Research Council recommends establishing 40 pollution pilot projects in impaired basin watersheds. Those would include projects like erosion and sediment control, manure storage, wetland construction and farm runoff control.

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