Recently, the EPA updated the “Draft Ambient Water Quality Criteria Recommendations for Lakes and Reservoirs of the Conterminous United States” (EPA, 2020). New regulations are directed towards controlling total nitrogen and phosphorous concentration in lakes and reservoirs to ensure that designated uses such as aquatic life, recreation, and drinking are protected from adverse effects of nutrient pollution (EPA, 2020). While nutrients are essential for health, overloading water bodies with phosphorous and nitrogen stimulates growth of algae leading to limited use of lakes and reservoirs (EPA, 2020). The policy affects my farming community positively because farmers utilize water that is free from harmful elements such as cyanotoxins (EPA, 2020). It affects factories in our community negatively, by requiring owners to purchase more costly equipment that regulates nitrogen and phosphorous release.
EPA has established interdisciplinary collaboration with the USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) (Doroski, 2020). The USDA and NCRS will assist in implementation of pre-harvesting planning, sediment control from erosion-prone areas and analyzing local hydrology processes. EPA and MEE have contributed to a sustainable environment through water quality testing and promoting clean water technologies (Doroski, 2020). The goal in the EPA and MEE partnership is eradicating all persistent organic pollutants (POP) (Doroski, 2020). The EPA is working in collaboration with undergraduate and graduate students though the Campus Rain Works Challenge (EPA, 2019). The challenge motivates students towards designing systems that improve water quality and control of storm water.
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The current policy affects local factories due to the costly endeavor of acquiring new machinery for nutrient control. Local governments are also expected to incorporate new strategies of controlling storm water drainage into lakes and reservoirs. Funding constraints from the government could impede most of these regulations. EPA is aware of the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, it has provided a 60-day comment period for scientific input for parties that disagree on the matter.
EPA updates Draft Water Quality Criteria to reduce nutrient overloading which leads to algae overgrowth and release of cyanobacteria. #cleanwater#pollution. https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-releases-draft-criteria-help-protect-lakes-and-reservoirs
References
Doroski, B. (2020). EPA Collaboration with China. United States Environmental Protection Agency . https://www.epa.gov/international-cooperation/epa-collaboration-china#water
EPA. (2019). Campus RainWorks 2019. Environmental Protection Agency , 1-18.
EPA. (2020). Draft Ambient Water Quality Criteria Recommendations for Lakes and Reservoirs of the Conterminous United States: Information Supporting the Development of Numeric Nutrient Criteria. Environmental Protection Agency , 75(100), 1-2. Retrieved May 29, 2020, from https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-05-22/pdf/2020-11126.pdf
