Today with concerns over water quality at an all-time high across the country, we love hearing about solutions that both industry and communities think up to help improve our precious water resources.
After concerns over recent algae blooms in the Ohio River and Lake Erie due to increased levels of nitrogen in the water, a pilot project has been initiated in the Ohio River Basin area that may offer a solution to the problem of algae blooms.
American Farmland Trust and the Electric Power Research Institute recently announced the establishment of the nation’s first interstate water quality trading market. This new water quality trading market will offer a way for industries to purchase water quality “credits” from farmers in the watershed. In turn, watershed farmers use the funds from the project in order to make improvements on their farms. These improvements can further reduce the amount of fertilizer that typically runs off fields of crops and from barnyards and livestock areas.
According to a letter that Brian Brandt, the director of Agricultural Conservation Innovations at American Farmland Trust, sent to the editor of the New York Times; the water quality trading market estimates that they will keep over 12,000 pounds of nitrogen and 3,800 pounds of phosphorous out of waterways from some 29 farm projects in just the first year of operations.
According to Brandt, once the program reaches its full scale, it could make a “significant positive impact on the water quality and health of the watershed.”
Are you meeting your water quality goals? Keeping the water supply clean, healthy and available for everyone for years to come is part of what we do best at Metro Water Filter. We can help you meet your goals for clean water for your city and your business. Call our offices to schedule to meet with one of our water quality experts today.