Hood Canal | Columbia River Basin | Coral Reefs | Des Moines & Raccoon Rivers | Fox River | Gulf of Mexico | Southwest Florida | Lake Erie | Lake Champlain | Red Tide | Chesapeake Bay

Washington: Hood Canal, Puget Sound
In the fall of 2003, there was so little oxygen in southern Hood Canal that more than 50,000 perch suffocated and died, washing up on the beach at Potlatch State Park. The low oxygen levels are the result of too much nutrient pollution, subsequent algae growth and decay which uses up oxygen in the waters.

Various types of nutrient pollution enter Puget Sound, including treated and untreated waste, discharges from boaters and other recreational activities,waste from farm animals and pets, fertilizers, stormwater runoff and wood waste. While Hood Canal has historically had low levels of oxygen in its waters, people have made the problem worse by contributing some 100 to 300 tons of nitrogen to the canal every year from fertilizers, sewage, animal manure, stormwater runoff and decaying fish carcasses from fisheries.
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Oregon: Columbia River Basin
Approximately five miles from the Columbia River, the dairy operation Threemile Canyon Farms, in Morrow County, Oregon, emits a staggering 5.6 million pounds of ammonia gas every year — more than double that of the state's remaining industries combined. The dairy operation has 52,300 cows currently but, with a permit for over 38,000 more, has the potential to emit 9.8 million pounds of ammonia annually.

Ammonia is discharged into the air when dairy cow waste is generated, handled, stored and processed. Ammonia is a nitrogen compound that changes into a form of nitrogen that, when it mixes with rain and washes into waterways, contributes to nutrient pollution. Ammonia has been linked to acid rain and fog in the Columbia River Gorge, which is protected as a national scenic area for its rocky landscapes and natural vistas. The Gorge, a 50-million-year-old geologic wonder, attracts visitors throughout the year to camp, fish and view wildlife.
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Hawaii: Coral Reefs
Approximately five Coral reefs in the Hawaiian Islands are threatened by nutrients from agriculture, golf courses, construction sites, storm drains,marine waste and septic tanks. Once the structure and productivity of the coral reefs change because of excessive algal production, fish and other species that depend on reefs for shelter and food can be harmed.

It is important to keep nutrient levels low to reduce algal growth and preserve coral reef health. According to one study, the annual business revenues generated by residents and tourists who snorkel and dive on Hawaii's coastal reefs total almost $364 million.
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Iowa: Des Moines & Raccoon Rivers
High levels of nitrates in the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers in Des Moines, Iowa had become such a problem that in 1992 the water department installed a $4 million nitrate-removal system. Des Moines Water Works customers pay $3,000 a day (about $1.60 a month per rate payer) to run the nitrate-removal system to clean their drinking water whenever nitrate levels are high from farmfield runoff to the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers.

Studies have shown that high nitrate levels in drinking water can rob babies' blood of oxygen and are linked to cancers and miscarriages.
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Illinois: Fox River
Out of 15,491 miles of Illinois streams that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency assesses, more than one-third of them fail to meet water quality standards. Of these, about 55 percent fall short because of nutrient pollution.

The Fox River, for example, was tested every month for a year at 10 sites between Elgin and Yorkville. Samples indicated the river contains phosphorus almost five times the standard recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency. These levels can deprive the river of the oxygen needed for aquatic life. More than 450,000 people live in the Fox River watershed and use it for drinking water, irrigation for agriculture,wastewater disposal, fishing and boating.

A coalition of environmental groups, sanitary districts and Fox River Valley communities are working with the Illinois EPA and Illinois State Water Survey to determine the sources of nutrient pollution and to craft a plan to preserve the water quality of the Fox River.
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Mississippi River Basin & Gulf of Mexico: Dead Zone
The most notorious dead zone is a region in the Gulf of Mexico, where the Mississippi River discharges high-nutrient runoff. Just a few years ago, at its largest, the Gulf's dead zone was the size of Massachusetts. This seasonal phenomenon kills every oxygen-dependent sea creature within it.

Although the exact size of the Gulf's dead zone varies from year to year, it has grown steadily since 1993 and poses an enormous threat to the biodiversity, ecological integrity and fishery productivity of the Gulf of Mexico. Scientific research has indicated that excess nutrients (primarily nitrogen), resulting from human activities in the upstream Mississippi River watershed, are largely to blame for the dead zone.

The main areas contributing nutrients to the Mississippi River are streams draining agricultural and urban land in the upper portion of the basin, including Iowa, Illinois, Indiana,Ohio and southern Minnesota. The lower Mississippi River Basin, which drains parts of Tennessee, Arkansas,Missouri, Mississippi and Louisiana, also delivers nitrogen to the Gulf.

The dead zone is disastrous for the northern part of the Gulf of Mexico, causing massive fish kills, altering migration patterns for species like shrimp and destroying suitable habitat for the spawning of fish, shrimp and crabs. The huge hypoxic zone poses a serious threat to the recreational and commercial fisheries that drive the Gulf region's economy, generating approximately $2.8 billion annually.

Fishermen must travel hundreds of miles around the dead zone to reach waters where they can catch commercial fish, shrimp and crabs. The economic impacts could become even more serious if the dead zone continues to grow, threatening the entire commercial fishery, which produces close to 40% of the nation's commercial fishing yield and a large portion of the most valuable fishery, shrimp.
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Southwest Florida: Manatee deaths
In March of 2005, red tide was the suspected cause of a series of manatee deaths occurring in Southwest Florida near the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River. For months, the State of Florida discharged nutrient-rich water from Lake Okeechobee down the river and into the Gulf of Mexico, feeding the red tide already present in the Gulf.

At the same time, red tide was found in higher counts than normal in the months leading up to the manatee deaths. Researchers in Florida are finding a connection between an increase in coastal nutrient pollution and more intense coastal red tide events. While red tide blooms occur naturally in the Gulf, they are lasting longer and becoming more intense as they drift into nutrient-rich coastal waters.

Decades of uncontrolled sprawl along the coast, with attendant sewage pollution and stormwater runoff, have combined with agricultural waste and industrial pollution to create conditions for red tide to thrive. During summer 2005, red tide plagued most of Florida's Gulf Coast from Tampa to Naples. Red tide kills fish, endangers marine mammals, threatens public health and hurts Florida's $50 billion per year tourist economy.
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New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan & Ontario: Lake Erie
Lake Erie is considered the most biologically productive of the five Great Lakes, with more fish produced for human consumption each year than all the other Great Lakes combined. It's no wonder that the western end of Lake Erie is called the "Walleye Capital of the World," with more walleye per square meter produced than any other lake in the world. In addition, millions of people swim at the beaches along Lake Erie every year, and the island archipelago in the Western Basin of Lake Erie also attracts tourists.

Unfortunately, Lake Erie's Central Basin is home to a dead zone every summer, when the bottom waters have no oxygen and it is virtually impossible for any aquatic life to survive. One of the major contributors to this dead zone is too many nutrients, especially phosphorus. Research has shown that there have been periods of low oxygen in the Central Basin for centuries, but the dead zone has become worse because of heavy nutrient inputs to Lake Erie that cause both green (good) algae and blue-green (bad) algae. Sewer overflows, agriculture runoff and stormwater runoff from development have made the problem worse.

The potentially deadly form of algae, microcystis, that has been found in Lake Erie almost every summer since 1995 has now made its way as far west as Toledo. In the summer of 2005, in Sandusky Bay, the algae particles were large enough to be seen by the human eye. Sandusky Bay is a fishing hotspot, as well as an important stopover point for one of the largest migratory bird routes in the eastern United States.
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Vermont: Lake Champlain
Every summer, Lake Champlain experiences algal blooms, clogging sections of the lake with blankets of scum. The algal blooms are sometimes toxic. A neurotoxin, which can be released by the algae, can cause liver problems if ingested. A less threatening consequence is skin irritation. In 1999, a dog died from the poison after coming into contact with it when swimming near Juniper Island.

While blue-green algae are native to the lake, researchers have noted that an increase in phosphorus pollution from a variety of sources, such as lawn fertilizers, agricultural runoff and animal and human waste, has contributed to the problem. Lake Champlain is a vital part of Vermont's economy. The most recent data show that the Lake Champlain Valley ranked fourth in tourist spending in Vermont, with tourists spending some $300.4 million. Ensuring the health and safety of the Lake is important to protect tourism in the region.
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Eastern U.S.: Red Tide
In 2005, the Eastern seaboard from Maine to Cape Cod experienced the worst algal bloom, or "red tide," in New England since 1972. Red tide occurs when waters become discolored by an outbreak of toxic red microscopic algae. Even though red tide is a natural occurrence, some scientists point to nutrient runoff from the coasts to explain the increase in severity.

In the summer of 2005, numerous shellfish beds closed, crippling the shellfish industry in Maine and Massachusetts, and putting some 2,000 fisherman temporarily out of work. The The cost of the red tide occurrence was estimated at $3 million a week.
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Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia & Washington, D.C.: Chesapeake Bay
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists the Chesapeake Bay and many of its tributaries as "impaired bodies of water." Excessive nutrients are by far the worst cause of the Bay's pollution. In addition to a deluge of sewage, livestock waste and fertilizer runoff from cities, suburban homes and agriculture, new evidence indicates that nitrogen emitted from vehicles and power plants is also a major contributor to the contamination.

The Chesapeake Bay, with its tourism and fisheries, represents hundreds of billions of dollars to the region's economy every year. When the Bay is hit with a large amount of nutrients, massive algal blooms occur and can create dead zones. Fish, crabs and other organisms must abandon these low-oxygen areas or perish. The algae also snuff out seagrasses — the habitat of blue crabs and other creatures — by blocking sunlight.

Without this critical nesting and feeding seagrass habitat, the blue crab, and Bay restoration itself, face significant hurdles. The Susquehanna River, which delivers half of the Bay's water, is a major source of nutrient contamination. According to 2003 Chesapeake Bay Program estimates, Pennsylvania supplied more than 101 million pounds of nitrogen of the more than 275 million pounds that entered the Bay and more than three million pounds of the 19 million pounds of phosphorus.

Unfortunately, after more than two decades of planning and too little action to restore the Bay, the situation is not improving. The Bay's health is deteriorating, leaving the Bay's oysters and signature blue crabs at risk, as well as the people who make their livelihood off fishing in the Bay. The EPA and states in the Bay watershed are set to begin requiring nutrient limits for permits issued to wastewater dischargers in the Bay watershed, but until these measures and others are actually implemented and enforced, the Bay will continue to suffer.

On the other side of the Delmarva Peninsula, the Inland Bays of southern Delaware — including the prized vacation spot of Rehoboth Bay — have been plagued by nutrient pollution. Runoff of nitrogen and phosphorus from agriculture and urban areas, sewage discharges and increasing air pollution have degraded Bay water quality, resulting in reduced fish stocks andharmful blooms of algae and dinoflagellates, including Pfeisteria and Chattonella.

Exposure to Pfeisteria can cause human health problems, including acute short-term memory loss, cognitive impairment, asthma-like symptoms, liver and kidney dysfunction, blurred vision and vomiting.59 Improving the water quality in the Inland Bays is vital for the region's tourism and recreation industries. In addition, the shallowness of the groundwater aquifers that provide nearly all of the drinking water to the region makes them especially vulnerable to nutrient contamination — another reason to control pollution.
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