Hypoxia Task Force Action Plans and Goal Framework

Background

The Task Force first agreed to a Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan in 2001 and then updated it in 2008 in consideration of new science. In 2015, the Task Force updated the Coastal Goal, as described below. The Task Force uses these goals to guide state nutrient reduction strategies and assess collective progress. Learn more about the different plans and goals in the following sections.

Current Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan Goals

  1. Coastal Goal (Adopted 2015): We strive to reduce the five-year running average areal extent of the Gulf of America hypoxic zone to less than 5,000 square kilometers by the year 2035. Reaching this final goal will require a significant commitment of resources to greatly accelerate implementation of actions to reduce nutrient loading from all major sources of nitrogen and phosphorus in the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB). An Interim Target of a 20% reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus loading by 2025 is a milestone for immediate planning and implementation actions, while continuing to develop future action strategies to achieve the final goal through 2035. Federal agencies, States, Tribes and other partners will work collaboratively to plan and implement specific, practical and cost-effective actions to achieve both the Interim Target and the updated Coastal Goal.
  2. Within Basin Goal (Adopted 2008): To restore and protect the waters of the 31 States and Tribal lands within the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin through implementation of nutrient and sediment reduction actions to protect public health and aquatic life as well as reduce negative impacts of water pollution on the Gulf of America.
  3. Quality of Life Goal (Adopted 2008): To improve the communities and economic conditions across the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin, in particular the agriculture, fisheries and recreation sectors, through improved public and private land management and a cooperative, incentive-based approach.

Learn more how the Task Force is implementing the current action plan goals.

2001 Action Plan

Action Item 11 (2001 Action Plan)

"By December 2005 and every five years thereafter, the Task Force will assess the nutrient load reductions achieved and the response of the hypoxic zone, water quality throughout the Basin, and economic and social effects. Based on this assessment, the Task Force will determine appropriate actions to continue to implement this strategy or, if necessary, revise the strategy."

The 2001 Action Plan describes a national strategy to reduce the frequency, duration, size and degree of oxygen depletion of the hypoxic zone of the northern Gulf of America (the Gulf). The Action Plan was the result of an Integrated Assessment and discussion by the Task Force and many concerned officials and citizens who participated in their deliberations. This Plan was submitted to Congress in accordance with The Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998, Title VI of Public Law 105-383, section 604(b), enacted on November 13, 1998.

Action item 11 of the 2001 Action Plan called for an assessment of progress in achieving the three goals of the Action Plan (Coastal, Within Basin, and Quality of Life) and for decisions on a future course of action. This call for a reassessment resulted in several products including a proposal and timeline for the process, four symposia, teams to compile data, and an EPA Science Advisory Board findings.

2008 Action Plan

Eleven key actions in the 2008 Action Plan outline critical needs to complete and implement nitrogen and phosphorus reduction strategies, promote effective conservation practices and management practices, track progress, reduce existing scientific uncertainties, and promote effective communications to increase awareness of Gulf hypoxia.

The 2008 Action Plan describes a national strategy to reduce, mitigate, and control hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of America and improve water quality in the Mississippi River Basin. This plan was released on June 16, 2008.

The Task Force released the 2008 Action Plan as a product of a four-year reassessment that was called for in the 2001 Action Plan. The revised Plan reflects emerging science including EPA's Science Advisory Board report.

The Task Force held six public meetings throughout the MARB to inform the public of the progress of the reassessment of the Action Plan. The draft Action Plan received over 750 public comments.

Action Item 1 (2008 Action Plan)

"Complete and implement comprehensive nitrogen and phosphorus reduction strategies for states within the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin encompassing watersheds with significant contributions of nitrogen and phosphorus to the surface waters of the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin, and ultimately to the Gulf of America."

The updated 2008 Action Plan calls for state strategies and a dual nutrient reduction effort under Action Item 1. The 12 state nutrient reduction strategies developed as a result are the cornerstone of the Hypoxia Task Force efforts in implementing the Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan and delivering the pollution reductions needed from each state to meet Hypoxia Task Force goals.

2015 Hypoxia Task Force Goal Framework

Action 11 of the 2008 Action Plan called for a reassessment every five years of the Task Force approach to addressing excess nitrogen and phosphorus loads in the MARB, and to reduce the size of the Gulf hypoxic zone, and the Task Force produced the 2013 Reassessment. It provided a snapshot of progress to date in implementing the 2008 Action Plan: each Task Force state developed a nutrient reduction strategy; USDA supported strong assistance for conservation practices; science and monitoring improved; and the Task Force agreed their goal remained reasonable. The Reassessment recommended that the Task Force work to accelerate implementation of nutrient reduction activities and identify ways to measure progress at a variety of scales.

Action Item 11 (2008 Action Plan)

"In five years (2013) reassess nitrogen and phosphorus load reductions, the response of the hypoxic zone, changes in water quality throughout the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin, and the economic and social effects, including changes in land use and management, of the reductions in terms of the goals of this Action Plan. Evaluate how current policies and programs affect the management decisions made by industrial and agricultural producers, evaluate lessons learned, and determine appropriate actions to continue to implement or, if necessary, revise this strategy."

The 2015 Goal Framework details the updated time of attainment for the original hypoxic zone reduction goal, an interim target for 2025, and the Task Force’s commitment to accelerated and new actions to reduce nutrients across the MARB.

Mississippi River/Gulf of America Hypoxia Task Force

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Last updated on February 5, 2025