On November 18, the Directors of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) and the Illinois Department of Agriculture announced the release of the state’s second Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS) Biennial Report. The document describes the continued progress underway in Illinois to reduce nutrient losses from multiples sources to improve water quality not only in Illinois waterways, but also in the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico.
Illinois released its first NLRS in 2015. The strategy’s goal is to reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus in Illinois waterways by 45%. Interim goals include reducing by 2025 the amount of phosphorus by 25% and nitrogen by 15%. Implementation efforts are led by strategy partners in the Policy Working Group and other sector committees, guided by the Illinois Department of Agriculture and Illinois EPA.
“The 2019 Biennial Report describes some of the dramatic reductions in total phosphorus discharges from some of the largest wastewater treatment facilities in the state,” says Illinois EPA Director John Kim. “We’ve already nearly met one of our 2025 goals of 25% reduction of phosphorus from the point source sector, and we look forward to continued nutrient reductions.”
View the Full Biennial Report here.
