One of the most significant contributors to the spread of blue green algae in waterways across the Midwest is phosphorous-rich fertilizer, according to a published report.

Blue green algae blooms have caused headaches for public health and environmental officials throughout the U.S., especially over the past few years. Officials at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along with their counterparts in individual states, have ratcheted up their efforts to enact increasingly stringent water quality regulations.

However, officials' enforcement of such laws has been poor in many states, critics charge. In particular, experts said that authorities have failed to ensure that agricultural runoff from farmland throughout the Midwest is not spilling into regional waterways. Agricultural fertilizers are rich in phosphorous and other nutrients that spur the growth of blue green algae.

When heavy rains strike, they send such fertilizers pouring into rivers, lakes and streams, spurring the spread of the toxic blooms and complicating algae removal campaigns. Agriculture News reports that a new report from the Environmental Working Group concluded that agricultural runoff is one of the heaviest drivers of the algae blooms.

The group's report, "Troubled Waters: Farm Pollution Threatens Drinking Water," analyzed data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and a host of other organizations that monitor bodies of water in the U.S. The study stated that samples collected from waterways primarily located in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri indicated phosphorous and nitrogen were flowing freely into rivers, lakes and streams.

"Water that runs off poorly managed fields that have been treated with chemical fertilizers and manure is loaded with nitrogen and phosphorus," the report found. "These two potent pollutants set off a cascade of harmful consequences, threatening the drinking water used by millions of Americans."

The report also showed that new medical research has connected high levels of nitrates in drinking water to elevated risks of cancer and other illnesses. As a result, the environmental group that compiled the report argued that new policies must be enacted to help prevent nitrogen and phosphorous concentrations from further jumping.

Officials in states across the U.S. have had to contend with budget cuts, which have hindered their ability to enforce such environmental regulations. However, environmental advocates and public health officials are increasingly calling for enhanced water quality protections, particularly as new data suggest chemical levels are continuing to stage a steady climb.
 

Posted on May 2nd, 2012 under Agricultural Runoff, Lake and Pond Algae Control, Wastewater News, Water Regulations