2012 Annual Report
1a.Objectives (from AD-416):
The purpose of this agreement is to develop comprehensive State nutrient reduction strategies for those states with significant contributions of nitrogen and phosphorus to the Gulf as part of the five-year "Governors' Action Plan for Healthy and Resilient Coasts".
1b.Approach (from AD-416):
By using resources from various State and Federal agencies and nongovernmental organizations in Mississippi, to establish a collaborative, aligned process to reduce excessive nutrient loadings to Mississippi's waters and the Gulf of Mexico.
To further this initiative, scientists from the Water Quality and Ecology Research Unit (WQERU) participated in the following meetings: .
1)Yazoo Basin Team Meeting;.
2)Mississippi Delta Nutrient Technical Advisory Group; and.
3)Nutrient Reduction Task Force. Related to this, scientists also completed research on a reimbursable agreement funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assess methods for acquiring data for determining the Index of Biological Integrity. These results were reported to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). Scientists from WQERU were also consulted by MDEQ and other stakeholders when they were developing proposals related to the USDA’s Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI).