Two state agencies in Illinois have worked out a plan to improve water quality, and reduce the amount of pollution that flows into the Mississippi and other rivers. And they're accepting public comments through late January.
Warren Goetsch is chief of environmental programs for the Illinois Department of Agriculture. He says the goal of his department and the state EPA is to cut the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen runoff by 45 per cent - with help from farmers, waste water treatment plants, and every resident of the state.
The Illinois plan took a year to complete, and participants include a wide range of groups, ranging from the Illinois Farm Bureau and Sierra Club, to the University of Illinois and the Water Reclamantion District of Greater Chicago.
Goetsch says other states in along the Mississippi and its tributaries are working on similar plans, and some, such as Iowa, have completed a plan and begun implementation.
