Shrinking Of Gulf ‘Dead Zone’ Postponed

Shrinking the Gulf of Mexico’s “dead zone” will take two decades longer than expected, say EPA and its Hypoxia Task Force. Composed of representatives from the 12 states of the Mississippi River Basin, the task force had set a goal to shrink the low-oxygen dead zone that forms each summer from about 6,000 sq miles to 2,000 sq miles by 2015. But now, the task force has extended that deadline to 2035. Although progress has been made in some watersheds, nitrogen and phosphorus entering the Gulf of Mexico need to be decreased by 45%, EPA says. High levels of nitrogen and phosphorus from sewage treatment plants, industries, agriculture, and stormwater runoff cause algal blooms in the Gulf’s water. When these algae die and decompose, dissolved oxygen levels fall, harming aquatic life. Under the new plan, states would reduce nutrient loads by 20% by 2025.