Model Policies to Reduce Nutrient Pollution in the Great Lakes Region
The problem of excess nutrients in the Great Lakes and other waterbodies in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region is a serious threat to water quality. Nutrient pollution produces harmful algal blooms in western Lake Erie, Michigan’s Saginaw Bay, Green Bay in Wisconsin, and other locations throughout the region. States and provinces can help to remedy this problem through policies, programs, and funding directed at keeping nutrients out of the water. The Task Force on Nutrient Management of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus (GLLC) developed the following policy recommendations for consideration by the state and provincial legislatures in the Great Lakes basin. The adoption of consistent, effective measures to reduce nutrient pollution will help to ensure that clean, safe water is available to the region’s residents and supports tourism, commercial and recreational fishing, agriculture, and manufacturing. Engage with and incentivize agricultural producers to adopt best practices for managing nutrients • Establish voluntary conservation certification programs for agricultural operations (Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program, Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program): o Require verification that producers are following best management practices. o Adopt innovative financing mechanisms to increase the number of farms participating in the program. o Allow state and provincial funding to be used for investments in machinery and equipment to improve the management of nutrients. • Establish and promote competitive agricultural producer-led watershed management grants (Wisconsin Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grant Program).
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