Page 39 2024 Logan County Spring Farm Magazine LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2024 nature and by fertilization. These nutrients have been finding their way from the soil into waterways. This is why Illinois established the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS) in 2015. According to the Illinois Department of Agriculture, “The Illinois NLRS was developed by a policy working group that includes representatives from local, state and federal agencies, the agricultural industry, and nonprofit organizations as well as scientists, academics, and wastewater treatment professionals.” The short-term goal of the NLRS is to reduce the phosphorus load by 25 percent and the nitrogen load levels by 15 percent by the year 2025. The more long-term goal is to reduce the loss of these two nutrients to the Mississippi River by 45 percent. There are two general areas that the NLRS targets, these being point sources and nonpoint sources. The EPA defines a point source as “any single identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are discharged, such as a pipe, ditch, ship or factory smokestack.” In the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy Biennial Report 2023 (from here out this report shall be referred to as the 2023 report), the point sources listed are mostly water treatment facilities all over the state. These sources are implementing strategies such as improving existing equipment and upgrading wastewater treatment facilities. The 2023 report also shared that both phosphorus levels were down 34 percent from this source since 2011, surpassing its 2025 goal of a 25 percent reduction. Considering that phosphorus was the biggest concern of all pollutants being measured when the NLRS was adopted, this seems to be a pretty big win. While the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen from point sources is decreasing, the levels of these nutrients in waterways are actually on the rise. A five-year average from 2017-2021 showed that nitrogen levels rose by 4.8 percent and phosphorus levels by a whopping 35 percent. This rise in phosphorus and nitrogen levels is due to nonpoint sources, such as farmland. The Illinois NLRS provides many outreach activities throughout the year to help farmers learn about the ways they can contribute to nutrient loss reduction. In fact, between the years 2021-22, they put on 940 events including presentations, field days, workshops, and conferences. Their education includes practices such as cover cropping. Continued --
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzExODA=