LSU and Ohio State University have formed a partnership to restore the Mississippi River basin and alleviate the Gulf of Mexico hypoxia problem.
“If we are able to solve these problems in Louisiana we really need to look over the whole basin,” said John Day, an oceanography and coastal sciences professor.
Hypoxia is an area of low oxygen in the Gulf water, which threatens the area’s fisheries and has turned more than 7,000 square miles into “dead zone,” Day said. The local fishery industry brings in about $1 billion to $2 billion annually, and most of that would be in jeopardy if hypoxia continues, Day said.
Nitrogen and other chemicals from fertilizers that flow from Midwest farm lands are the primary causes of hypoxia, Day said.
To combat the problem, “Developing a Comprehensive Demonstration Program for Restoration of Wetlands and Water Quality in the Mississippi River Basin and Louisiana Delta” is proposing the construction of 25 million acres of wetlands along the basin, Day said.
The wetlands will filter the water draining from the farmlands and lower the fertilization levels. By doing this the project slowly will decrease the levels of hypoxia in the Gulf, Day said.
William Mitsch, professor of natural resources, is leading the project at Ohio State University.
“Together, North and South, we can tackle this problem,” said Mitsch, in a press release. “Louisiana has a hypoxic dead zone that’s due to run-off from farms throughout the Mississippi watershed. A large restoration of wetland areas in the Midwest is the answer.”
Day said the complete blame cannot be placed on farmers.
“We want to work with the farmers and use wetlands to filter that nitrogen so they can do their job of producing food, and we can improve the water quality in Mississippi River system,” Day said.
The project began in June of this year and will run until June 2004. The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources has spent $170,000 to finance the project, Day said.
Day said the project is not designed just for Louisiana. Building these wetlands along the basin will improve habitat for wildlife, improve water quality and improve public health conditions in the Midwest.
This solution will not be a quick fix.
“We got ourselves into this over the past century, and it will probably take that long to get out of it,” Day said. “But we can start moving in the right direction.”