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Prompted by the 2008 Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan, the recently-released Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy has a goal of 45% nitrogen and phosphorus reduction in Iowa’s waterways. 4% of nitrogen levels and 16% of phosphorus levels will be eliminated from point source contamination, with the other 41% of nitrogen and 29% of phosphorus reduction coming out of non-point sources.
Those are serious reductions, and to reach them, on December 6 the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship requested $2.4 million additional dollars for fiscal year 2014 and $4.4 million for fiscal year 2015. Those amounts might sound like a lot, and they are. As Natural Resources Engineer Dean Lemke explains, IDALS believes the extra costs are worth it.
IDALS encourages Iowans to review the strategy and provide any comments for consideration. You can read the full Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy and share your insight with IDALS by clicking this link.
In addition, 3 informal meetings will be held the week of December 17-21 in Denison, Ames and Waterloo. Public comments on the strategy won’t be heard during the meetings, but they are a chance for IDALS, DNR and ISU to field questions about the strategy as it is. You can find the dates and locations below.
Denison
Monday, December 17, 6:30 p.m., Boulders Conference Center, 2507 Boulders Drive, Denison
Ames
Wednesday, December 19, 10 a.m., South Ballroom, Memorial Union, Iowa State University, Ames
Waterloo
Friday, December 21, 10 a.m., Ramada Waterloo/Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center, 205 W 4th Street, Waterloo
