An algae bloom in the Gulf of Mexico has resulted in an oxygen-starved area the size of Massachusetts. Part of the problem is sewage runoff flowing south from Chicago.
Tony Briscoe reports that a giant algae bloom in the Gulf of Mexico is being fed by agricultural and urban runoff from the Midwest flowing into the Mississippi River. "While the agricultural runoff from farms — exempted under the Clean Water Act — is the main driver of the Gulf dead zone, Chicago’s sewage is the largest single source of phosphorus pollution."
Heavy rains are flushing more nitrogen from fertilizer and phosphorous from sewage into the river, and the resulting dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is killing off fish and shrimp populations. But dead zones are also a problem in the Great Lakes, with large algae blooms in Lake Michigan and Lake Erie, reports Briscoe.
Environmental groups want to see less water pollution coming out of Chicago, and they are also working to curb agricultural runoff. "In collaboration with the agricultural industry, the [Natural Resources Defense Council] pushed to incentivize the use of cover crops, plants like cereal rye that soak up water and nutrients during the off-season," writes Briscoe.
FULL STORY: There’s a giant dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico — thanks in large part to pollution from Chicago
Michigan Court Green-Lights State Regulation of Livestock Manure
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Chicago Flood Mitigation Scrambles to Keep up With Climate Change
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San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research