Nutrient Control Actions for Improving Water Quality in the Mississippi River Basin and Northern Gulf of Mexico (2009) / Chapter Skim
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4 Allocating Nutrient Load Reduction Targets
4 Allocating Nutrient Load Reduction Targets
Pages 41-48
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From page 41... ...
As explained below, there is a good rationale for considering both factors in load reduction plans. ESTIMATING LOADS, REDUCTION TARGETS, AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF SOURCES Two key decisions need to be made before nutrient load reductions can be allocated.
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From page 42... ...
. The high percentage of nutrient loadings contributed by nonpoint agricultural sources across the Mississippi River basin presents a special challenge for administering water quality improvements actions pursuant to the Clean Water Act, because those nonpoint sources cannot be regulated directly at the federal level by a permitting process.
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From page 43... ...
For nonpoint sources, a simple formula for allocating load reductions that has been used in the Chesapeake Bay Program and was actually adopted for the Neuse River Basin, is the uniform rollback strategy (p1 = p2 = … = pN)
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From page 44... ...
That condition is a real one -- many point source dischargers currently are paying for construction, operation and maintenance largely from their own source revenues, while costs of management practices for nonpoint sources (e.g., buffer strips, water controls, tillage practices, nutrient control actions, etc.) are subsidized to a significant extent from state and federal tax revenues.
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From page 45... ...
Furthermore, final decisions about load reduction targets are not based fully on scientific and engineering factors and also must consider social, economic, and political issues. In developing a load reduction allocation scheme for the Mississippi River basin, the experience in allocation of load reductions for the Chesapeake Bay merits careful consideration (Box 4-1)
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From page 46... ...
Many aspects of the Chesapeake Bay experience are relevant to creating a similar science-based nutrient control program for the Mississippi River basin and northern Gulf of Mexico. Scientifically, that program includes an interstate information management system, basinwide water quality monitoring, and integrated water quality modeling and data analysis.
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From page 47... ...
In other words, allocators should consider the possibility that early commitments to certain technologies may commit the overall adaptive management strategy to limited paths. Finding/recommendation 7: In working toward a load reduction allocation scheme, the EPA, USDA, and the Mississippi River basin states should draw upon the experience in the Chesapeake Bay in allocating nutrient loading caps.
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