How will increased corn production lead to more nutrient runoff, and why is this a particular concern?
RM: It is well established that the most pervasive, widespread, and damaging pollutants affecting water and habitat quality in our nation’s rivers, lakes, estuaries and coasts are nutrients. It’s clear too that the largest single contributors nationwide to nutrient pollution are agricultural practices. So when a dramatic increase occurs in acreage devoted to corn—which has the highest nutrient loss rate among major crops—it will inevitably lead to a higher loading of nutrients to our waterways. Nutrient pollution leads to multiple adverse impacts on water, habitat quality, and on human health, including hypoxia or low–oxygen conditions, Harmful Algal Blooms (or HABs), loss of important and beneficial seagrass beds, and toxicity in water supplies. Many management agencies at the federal, state and local level have been attacking these problems for several decades. And it’s important to point out that considerable progress has been made on point sources of pollution, such as wastewater t
