The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with The Water Research Foundation (WRF) to accelerate progress on reducing excess nutrients in the nation’s waterways.
“EPA believes that if we can empower farmers with proven market-based and watershed-centered technologies and approaches they need to better manage nutrients from livestock manure, we can accelerate meaningful progress on the country’s longstanding excess nutrients challenge,” says EPA Office of Water Assistant Administrator David Ross. “EPA is pleased to partner with The Water Research Foundation to advance nutrient recovery science and innovation, support on-farm demonstrations and installations, and help make the connections needed across the nutrient value chain to maximize environmental and economic results.”
The MOU builds on the Nutrient Recycling Challenge, a competition launched by EPA with WRF and others to develop affordable technologies to recycle nutrients from livestock manure. Through the new MOU, EPA and WRF will collaborate with the agricultural community to build capacity and awareness of programs and tools that support watershed and market-based approaches to nutrient management.
“Excess nutrients in our waterways continue to be one of the most pressing water quality issues in the U.S.,” says Robert Renner, CEO of The Water Research Foundation. “WRF is pleased to work with EPA and take a collaborative, science-based approach to identifying and demonstrating promising solutions.”
To view the MOU, visit https://www.epa.gov/npdes/animal-feeding-operations-afos#technology.
