The Association of Clean Water Administrators (ACWA) examined the Northeast-Midwest Institute’s report, Source Water Quality and the Cost of Nitrate Treatment in the Mississippi River Basin, in its June 8, 2018 edition of ACWA Weekly Wrap. The article cited the report’s finding that “the heavy use of fertilizers and manure on agricultural fields . . . has contributed to the high levels of nitrates in the waters resulting in algal blooms, contaminated drinking water, and ‘dead zones.’” The Association’s newsletter also included the Institute’s conclusion that “[c]apital expense was a significant component of the overall cost of nitrate treatment at the three utilities [monitored in the study], with amortized capital costs of the treatment outweighing annual operations and maintenance costs.”
The full article titled “Source Water Quality and the Cost of Nitrate Treatment” can be read here.