News items from Eutrophication News

It's no laughing matter what's happened to our great St. Lucie estuary

Islamabad (Anantnag), Feb 6: Notwithstanding the Water Resources Regulation Act providing executive powers to the authorities to act against the offenders, pollution and massive encroachments in Jhelum-in South Kashmir areas is going on unabated.

Contrary to popular belief, or perhaps wishful thinking, a legislative bill in Tallahassee would negate the most important parts of fertilizer rules in Sarasota and Charlotte counties.

Wellington, Feb 2 NZPA - Embarrassing pollution at Waitangi Day should act as a wake-up call for the Government to introduce clean water rules, the Green Party says.

In its recently released “2011 Estuaries Report Card,” the Conservancy of Southwest Florida identifies some of the state’s most impaired waterbodies — waterbodies that would likely be aided by a set of numeric nutrient standards currently being disputed in the state.

From artichoke fields on the banks of the Salinas River to the bluffs overlooking the fertile Salinas Valley, area farming and agri-business interests argued Wednesday they should decide how to control polluted runoff from fields.

Maryland farmers planted a record amount of pollution-absorbing cover crops last fall, state officials announced this week, sowing nearly 400,000 acres with rye, barley, wheat and other grains.

A drinking water advisory issued for the Highland drinking water system could be in place for several more weeks, according to a water quality expert from the Capital Regional District.

Here in the heart of southeast Minnesota farm country, everyone knows you don't drink the water. "It's just not safe," Linda Liebfried said one recent afternoon as she watched over a couple of toddlers, including her own 2-year-old daughter, at a day care center. "Every doctor will say not to drink it."

The Mahul-Sewri mudflats are one of the 160 wetlands in the country which qualify for the Ramsar Criteria, according to the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), which released the list on the eve of World Wetlands Day.

Environmentalists are backing a legislative proposal that would charge a fee on stormwater pollutants - including petroleum, fertilizers and herbicides - to raise money for local cleanup projects.

Not being absorbed as much by weakened trees with damaged roots, more nitrogen got into groundwater, eventually making its way into streams, rivers and lakes. Nitrogen helps fuel the growth of algae and microscopic plants, which makes lakes and streams more clouded, a process called eutrophication.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologists say a lack of oxygen may have caused thousands of fish to die and wash ashore at Sebastian Inlet State Park.

Coastal pollution, mainly arising from the use of agrochemicals and poor waste management, is causing extensive habitat degradation through eutrophication and harmful algal blooms, leading to the spread of dead zones and contributing to the destruction of coastal marine ecosystems.

Water poisoned by poorly treated sewage, animal waste and excess fertilizer is a public health threat. All contain the harmful "nutrients" phosphorus and nitrogen, which spur noxious algae outbreaks.

The European Commission is referring Greece to the European Court of Justice for its failure to protect Lake Koroneia, an internationally important wetland in the region of Thessaloniki. The lake has been seriously affected by pollution and illegal water extraction, with serious consequences for local fauna and flora.

An amazing National Geographic photo story of algae blooms in China.

This story is part of a special series that explores the global water crisis. For more clean water news, photos, and information, visit National Geographic's Freshwater Web site.

Chinese and Australian scientists are working together to reduce pollution in China's largest freshwater lake, the Poyang Lake in east China's Jiangxi Province.

Just under a year ago, NASA released a map of marine dead zones. It helped us visualize the extent to which low-oxygen areas are harming ocean ecosystems. Now, there's an even better tool -- an interactive map from World Resources Institute.