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Latest EPA update on Gulf hypoxia zone shows mixed results

A member of the Agricultural Nutrient Policy Council (ANPC) says the latest U.S. EPA update on the hypoxia zone in the Gulf of Mexico is a mixed bag.  

Adam Herges, sustainability agronomist advisor with The Mosaic Company, says efforts to reduce nitrogen levels in the Mississippi River are working.

“Nitrogen is 28% below the baseline, so we’re making good progress there.”  He says, “We actually hit the 2025 interim target goal of 20%.”

However, he tells Brownfield that phosphorus levels are rising.

“Phosphorus on the other hand is up 13% above the baseline.”  He says, “Phosphorus is very tied to soil particles and so anytime you have some soil erosion occurring, phosphorus is moving with that soil as well.”

Herges says research has found that legacy phosphorus is likely leading to the increased levels.

“Things we were doing as a society 60, 80 years ago has built up phosphorus in the soil, and then we have hot spots in the field,” he says.

Both nutrients contribute to algae blooms in the Gulf that greatly impact marine life.  Herges says ANPC believes modern application practices coupled with a better understanding of phosphorus movement promises numbers will likely go down in the future.

AUDIO: Adam Herges – ANPC