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Iowa Secretary Of Ag Says Dead Zone Size Reduction Reflects Efforts To Improve Water Quality

Following the release of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) annual Gulf of Mexico hypoxia zone survey on Tuesday showing a decrease in size, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Naig, points to water quality improvement efforts as one potential factor. The hypoxia, or more commonly called dead zone, is an area where oxygen levels are low or nonexistent and result in the loss of marine life. This year, the zone was measured at 2,116 square miles, the third lowest measurement since the NOAA began surveying that region in 1985. “As co-chair of the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force, I know that leaders from 12 states bordering the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers are working alongside five federal agencies, including the EPA and USDA and the National Tribal Water Council to help improve water quality locally and downstream,” Naig says. He adds, however, there is a significant size variability from year to year as the zone was largest in 2017 at 8,776 square miles and one year later, the fourth smallest at 2,720. The NOAA reports the average size for the past five years is 5,408 square miles, but this is still 2.8 times larger than the 2035 target set by the Hypoxia Task Force. Naig points to weather as having the most impact on the dead zone size, but regardless, it is an important measurement on gauging water quality efforts. Iowa has decreased total point and non-point source phosphorous by 18.5 percent over the past several decades, thanks to widespread adoption of no-till farming and better storm and wastewater management practices. The state is now working on accelerating the adoption of cover crops and edge-of-field practices to further reduce nutrient losses, particularly on the nitrogen side.

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