The Mississippi River Conservancy is part of a broader coalition calling on the federal government to take action, calling nitrate contamination in drinking water at “critical levels” and a public health emergency.
Nitrates, which are formed when nitrogen-rich sources combine with oxygen, have long been found in the country’s surface and groundwater and can eventually find their way into people’s drinking water. Consuming water with high nitrate levels has been linked to birth defects, thyroid problems, and some cancers.
Agricultural fertilizers and manure are the most common sources of nitrogen to groundwater, with septic systems and lawn fertilizers also contributing. Ann Environmental Working Group April Analysis It was found that from 2021 to 2023, approximately 18% of the U.S. population used drinking water from community systems with nitrate concentrations of 3 milligrams per liter (mg/L) or higher, the standard set by the Environmental Protection Agency. say it indicates pollution.
Nitrate pollution has struggled to gain public attention, but advocates say it is costly and dangerous for those affected.
of May 5th letter The Department of Health and Human Services and EPA have more than 80 signatories, about one-third of which are based in or concentrated in the Mississippi River Basin. The report calls on government agencies to “immediately identify and remove sources of nitrate contamination in drinking water and provide funding to communities to reduce nitrates to safe levels.”
The letter quotes recent events. report A report from the Iowa Environmental Council and the Harkin Institute at Drake University in Des Moines found high nitrate levels in drinking water, as well as the presence of pesticides and permanent chemicals. Associated with increased cancer rates in Iowa. The report notes that intensive agriculture across the state, including corn, soybeans and hogs, is a major source of nitrate pollution.
“We understand these are long-term issues,” said Tyler Lobdell, senior attorney at Food & Water Watch, who spearheaded the letter. “The longer we delay addressing the root causes, the more difficult and costly it will be and the more harm we will cause in the long term.”
The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to requests for comment on the letter. An EPA spokesperson said the agency is beginning this effort. Next review round National drinking water regulations last published in 2024.
Too much nitrogen contaminates drinking water and negatively impacts river ecosystems.
Nitrate pollution is a widespread problem across the country, especially in the Corn Belt, but efforts to address it have been slow.
Multi-state groups: wisconsin, minnesota and iowahad previously petitioned the EPA to take emergency action on nitrate problems in certain areas. Lobdell said authorities have ignored or given inadequate answers to such petitions dating back years and multiple presidential administrations.
Under former President Joe Biden, the E.P.A. Evaluation has resumed Research on the effects of nitrates on human health was suspended during the first Trump administration. Environmentalists had hoped the move could lead to an adjustment to the national standard for nitrates in drinking water, which currently stands at 10 mg/L. Some studies show that the impact on human health is below that level.. There has been little progress on evaluation.
Beyond the effects on human health, too much nitrogen in surface water can promote excessive algae growth, which can harm fish and other aquatic life. In addition to phosphorus, it is also responsible for the formation of the Gulf of Mexico’s “dead zone,” a low-oxygen area spanning thousands of square miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River.
Kelly McGinnis, executive director of the environmental advocacy group One Mississippi, a signatory of the letter, said humans are not separate from the environment and that addressing nitrate pollution will have a positive impact on both the environment and the environment.
She said she hopes the letter will catch the attention of Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has pledged to “make America healthy again” and has expressed an interest in reducing toxins in people’s diets.
“We felt an urgency now to use the new research (at Iowa State) to say, ‘This is a problem you need to address,'” McGinniss said.
An EPA spokesperson said the agency is “committed to making America healthy again by taking real, concrete steps to assess the risks of nitrates in drinking water, while following the law and gold standard science.”
This story is Mississippi River Basin Agriculture and Water Deskan independent reporting network based in . University of Missouri In partnership with Report for Americais generously funded by the Walton Family Foundation.
signatory
Signatories from states in the Mississippi River Basin are shown in bold.
Alabama: Black Warrior Kawamori
Illinois: Climate Action Evanston. Commission on the Middle Fork Vermilion River. Illinois Stewardship Alliance. League of Women Voters of Illinois
Indiana: Wabash River Keeper Network
Iowa: Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. Iowa Environmental Council; Iowa LWV. UNI Energy and Environmental Education Center
Kentucky: Kentucky Waterways Alliance
Minnesota: League of Women Voters of Minnesota (LWVMN). Minnesota Environmental Advocacy Center
Mississippi: MS Community United for Prosperity (MCUP)
new york: Chuatuauqa-Conewango Consortium, Inc.
Ohio: Ohio Environmental Council
Pennsylvania: Three Rivers Waterkeeper
Tennessee: Harpeth Reserve
Texas: Bayou City Water Manager
Wisconsin: League of Women Voters of Wisconsin. Midwest environmental activist. milwaukee kawamori
Focus on regions/multiple states: Environmental Law and Policy Center (active in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin). Isaac Walton League of America. Upper Mississippi River Area League of Women Voters ILO. Mississippi River Collaborative. Ohio River Foundation; one in Mississippi; Sierra Club; Waterkeeper Alliance
Get your morning headlines.
Subscribe
