Secchi Silvia, Mcdonald Moira
Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences, 316 Jessup Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States.
Walton Family Foundation, P.O. Box 2030, Bentonville, AR 72712, United States.
Sci Total Environ. 2019 Aug 10;677:241-249. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.04.381. Epub 2019 Apr 26.
There is consensus that the Clean Water Act (CWA) has generally been effective in addressing point source pollution in the US. There is also consensus that non-point source (NPS) pollution, particularly from agriculture, remains a problem. The potential for the CWA framework to affect change is unclear, due to the limited power of the US federal government in addressing NPS, the contentiousness surrounding it, and the lack of funding to implement plans that have been developed. States are critical in improving water quality in the U.S. In the Mississippi River Basin, State-level Nutrient Reduction Strategies are the vehicle chosen by the Environmental Protection Agency to improve water quality. We develop an assessment of the twelve Mississippi River states' strategies. We consider three issues: whether there is science-based support for a choice, with a focus on NPS; if and how updates on progress are available; and whether there is alignment of funding and abatement priorities. We find that the use of best science is limited, the role of livestock in pollution and its abatement is ignored, and the development of Numeric Nutrient Criteria is stalled. Further, several states have not reported on their progress, and there has been little additional funding for pollution reduction. This analysis can inform broader discussions on decentralized approaches to address water quality.
人们普遍认为，《清洁水法》（CWA）在美国应对点源污染方面总体上是有效的。人们也普遍认为，非点源（NPS）污染，尤其是农业造成的污染，仍然是一个问题。由于美国联邦政府在应对非点源污染方面的权力有限、围绕该问题的争议性以及缺乏实施已制定计划的资金，CWA框架影响变革的潜力尚不明朗。在美国，各州对于改善水质至关重要。在密西西比河流域，州级营养物减排战略是美国环境保护局选择的改善水质的手段。我们对密西西比河沿岸十二个州的战略进行了评估。我们考虑了三个问题：对于一种选择是否有基于科学的支持，重点是对非点源污染的支持；是否以及如何提供进展情况的更新；以及资金与减排优先事项是否一致。我们发现，最佳科学的应用有限，牲畜在污染及其减排中的作用被忽视，数字营养物标准的制定陷入停滞。此外，几个州尚未报告其进展情况，而且几乎没有额外的资金用于减少污染。这一分析可为关于解决水质问题的分散式方法的更广泛讨论提供参考。
