ACWA Releases First State Nutrient Reduction Progress Tracker Report

The Association of State Clean Water Administrators (ACWA) has released its Nutrient Reduction Progress Tracker 1.0. The report summarizes the survey data received from state clean water programs in the fall of 2017 on state progress to reduce nutrient loads beyond the adoption of numeric nutrient criteria for lakes, estuaries, and flowing waters. This is the first in what will be a series of Nutrient Reduction Progress Tracker reports and includes responses from 31 states on state strategies, monitoring, assessment, non-point sources, point sources, and drinking water.

The ACWA Nutrients Working Group (NWG) that developed the Tracker is a partnership between ACWA, EPA, and ASDWA and currently includes two drinking water questions about the number of public water systems (PWSs) in violation of the Nitrate MCL and the estimated number and percent of PWSs operating to meet the Nitrate MCL. ASDWA is providing input on additional drinking water questions for next year’s Tracker survey that would help further explain the impacts of nutrient pollution on PWSs, both in terms of cost avoidance and additional costs for treatment, beyond conventional treatment. To view the report and to learn more about this effort, go here.