The Impact of Fertilizer Runoff and the Clean Water Act in Corn, Rice, and Soybean Production along the Mississippi River, and their connection to the Gulf Dead Zone

Balboa, Victoria

The Impact of Fertilizer Runoff and the Clean Water Act in Corn, Rice, and Soybean Production along the Mississippi River, and their connection to the Gulf Dead Zone

Persistent URL

https://dspace.allegheny.edu/handle/10456/56770

Author(s)

Balboa, Victoria

Date Issued

March 24, 2023

Abstract

The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is considered to be one of the largest in the world. One of the main leading causes is agricultural/ fertilizer runoff. A majority of the time, this pollution tends to flow in from the Mississippi River. So, in order to understand this cause of pollution, three crops that grow in three states along the Mississippi River were chosen. Corn from Iowa, Rice from Arkansas, and Soybeans from Illinois. The main objectives of this study were to see what fertilizers were being used, what role they played in the spread/creation of the dead zone, and finally, what role could the Clean Water Act(CWA) could play in addressing this problem. What these crops showed was that demand for fertilizer was high, primarily due to the fact that it helped crops grow tall and produce more yields. The most common type of fertilizer used were ones packed with nitrogen, which is one of the main chemicals found in the dead zone. Regarding the CWA, the Act mainly focuses on point source pollution and leaves nonpoint source pollution(Ag. Pollution) in the hands of the states, yet some help is offered in the form of grants. Providing this analysis and information will allow future students to recognize issues that, for some people, might not seem too urgent. Alternatively, this could give students the opportunity to look deeper into federal environmental policies and look into how policymakers decide exactly what an act will cover and what it might leave out.

Major

Environmental Science

History

First Reader(s)

Bethurem, Matt