Mississippi Nutrient/Hypoxia Reduction Summit
On October 1, 2010, MDEQ hosted 1st Mississippi Nutrient/Hypoxia Summit in Tunica, MS to feature the regional and national leadership role that Mississippi is taking in solving water quality problem from excess nutrients. Trudy Fisher, MDEQ Executive Director, opened the summit by highlighting Mississippi’s ongoing partnership efforts to reduce nutrient loading to the state waters. A video, titled “Protecting Our Waters – Reducing Nutrients in Mississippi”, was premiered at the Summit to tell Mississippi’s nutrient reduction story.
The participating federal/state/non-governmental agencies already agreed to formalize their working relationship to reduce nutrient loadings within the State and to the Gulf of Mexico through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). This MOA was signed at this Summit on October 1, 2010, by the following agencies/organizations:
USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service; USDA 
Farm Service Agency; USDA Agricultural Research
Service; USDA Rural Development; U.S. Geological
Survey; U.S. EPA Gulf of Mexico Program Office;
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality;
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources;
Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission;
Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce;
Mississippi State University; University of Southern Mississippi;
University of Mississippi; Mississippi Levee Board; Delta F.A.R.M.;
Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation; Delta Wildlife; The Nature
Conservancy; Delta Council; Gulf of Mexico Alliance; and Northern Gulf Institute.
Among the activities underway in Mississippi to reduce excessive nutrient loadings are the development and implementation of comprehensive nutrient reduction strategies. Development and implementation of these strategies include significant contributions of resources from various State and Federal agencies and nongovernmental organizations in Mississippi.
These signatories will continue to work together to collaboratively support the development and implementation of nutrient reduction strategies to benefit the quality of in-state waters and the Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, these parties will work to identify and pursue opportunities to leverage available resources to implement these strategies, where possible.
For additional information concerning nutrient reduction in Mississippi, please contact Mr. Pradip Bhowal, MDEQ Basin Management Branch, at (601) 961-5082 or Pradip_Bhowal@deq.state.ms.us
