71st SWCS International Annual Conference July 24-27, 2016 Louisville, KY

1. Mississippi River Basin
Goals and Partnerships:
Implementing the Hypoxia
Task Force Action Plan

2. • US Army Corps of Engineers
• US Environmental Protection
Agency
• US Department of Agriculture
• US Geological Survey
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
• National Tribal Water Council
5 Federal Agencies and Tribes:
12 State Agencies:
• Arkansas
• Missouri
• Iowa
• Tennessee
• Minnesota
• Indiana
• Ohio
• Louisiana
• Illinois
• Mississippi
• Kentucky
• Wisconsin
Each state is represented by one of:
Agriculture agency, Environmental Quality agency, or Natural
Resources agency
Hypoxia Task Force Members
Mississippi River Basin
HTF States

3. Current HTF Focus Areas
• Tracking progress towards the goal
• Nutrient Reduction Strategies
• Updating the SERA‐46 Priorities for Collaboration
document
• 2017 Report to Congress
• Collaboration and Partnerships

4. HTF Science Based Goal
Coastal Goal:
By 2035, reduce 5‐year running
average size of the Gulf hypoxic
zone to 5,000 km2
Interim Target:
20% reduction of nitrogen and
phosphorus loading by 2025

5. Tracking progress towards our goal
www.epa.gov/ms‐htf/northern‐gulf‐mexico‐hypoxic‐zone
www.epa.gov/ms‐htf/hypoxia‐task‐force‐new‐goal‐framework
• Develop basin‐scale nonpoint source measures
• This year, develop and report on common NPS metrics by state
• Point source measures
• First report out in March, 2016
• Continue to develop PS metrics
• Modeling considerations
• How can state information and data be used by federal and regional
modelers in MARB scale nutrient reduction tracking models?

6. Nutrient Reduction Strategies
www.epa.gov/ms‐htf/hypoxia‐task‐force‐nutrient‐reduction‐strategies
• Each state has a nutrient reduction strategy aimed to move us
towards the Goal
• In 2016, the federal agencies will release an updated federal strategy
to complement the 12 state strategies

7. Priorities for Collaboration with SERA‐46
www.epa.gov/ms‐htf/hypoxia‐task‐force‐
partnerships
mrbconservationnetwork.net/
• The 12 Land Grant Universities are
represented by one research scientist
and one extension specialist

8. 2017 Report to Congress
• In 2015, HTF submitted our first Report to Congress, and we have one
due biannually going forward
• www.epa.gov/ms‐htf/htf‐2015‐report‐congress
• Due in June, 2017
• Present to congress and interested parties the collaborative, partnership‐
based approach that states are taking to develop, implement and adaptively
manage nutrient strategies
• Highlight federal support, identify needed next steps

9. Collaboration and Partnerships
Federal HTF: Dee Carlson, NRCS, and Gwen White, USFWS
State HTF: Paulette Akers, Kentucky Department for Environmental
Protection
SERA‐46: Amanda Gumbert, University of Kentucky
Nonprofit: David DeGeus, The Nature Conservancy
Conservation: Mike Smith, CTIC

10. THANK YOU!
For more information visit:
www.epa.gov/ms‐htf
and come visit our booth at the expo!