Over the last 50 years, the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution entering our waters has escalated dramatically and is becoming one of America's costliest and most challenging environmental problems. In many parts of the country, nitrogen and phosphorus pollution negatively impacts human health, aquatic ecosystems, the economy, and people’s quality of life. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed a new and improved website about nitrogen and phosphorus pollution to provide the public with information about this type of pollution--where it comes from, its impacts on human health and aquatic ecosystems, and actions that people can take to help reduce it.
EPA’s new website also includes updated information on states’ progress in developing numeric water quality criteria for nutrients as part of their water-quality standards regulations. EPA recognizes that states and local communities are best positioned to restore and protect their waters, and the agency is providing technical guidance and tools to help states develop numeric nutrient criteria for their water bodies.
To facilitate state and local efforts to reduce nutrient pollution, EPA is releasing a new Nitrogen and Phosphorus Pollution Data Access Tool. The goal of the tool is to support states in their nitrogen and phosphorus analyses by providing the most current data available on:
- the extent and magnitude of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution
- water-quality problems related to this pollution
- potential pollution sources in a format that is readily-accessible and easy-to-use
With this comprehensive data, EPA, the states, and other stakeholders will be able to more quickly gather additional, less-accessible data and develop effective source reduction strategies for nitrogen and phosphorus.