Connecting people, land & water across 31 states.
America’s Watershed Initiative (AWI) is a collaboration working with hundreds of business, government, academic, and civic organizations to find solutions for the challenges facing the Mississippi River and the more than 250 rivers that flow into it. Learn MoreJoin AWI for our next webinar!
October 2026
Gaps in Nutrient Loss Source Apportionment and How to Address Them
Andrew Margenot, PhD
Many states in the Mississippi River Basin have nutrient loss reduction strategies or plans that apportion nutrient losses among various sources, in particular point vs non-point source. For non-point source, these strategies or plans estimate nutrient loss reductions from proposed best management practices. However, there are assumptions fundamental to many such state strategies such as the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS) that upon closer examination miss key unknowns or uncertainties. How to address these uncertainties and avoid false confidence in nutrient loss reduction apportionment and proposed practices is reviewed, with examples from the Illinois NLRS.
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
12:00 pm to 12:30 pm CT
States within the Watershed
Rivers within the Watershed
Largest Watershed in the World
The Mississippi River Watershed is vast, covering almost half of the continental United States. The river system provides $50 billion in agricultural products, flood mitigation and resilience, habitats for diverse and essential living resources, public land access and recreation.
Collaboration is necessary between private and public partners across the river system to enact sustainable solutions.
2020 Mississippi River Watershed Report Card
Only by working together—coordinated, focused and for the long term—will we make meaningful progress to raise the grades for America’s Watershed, for our future, and for our children’s future.
Our heartland rivers comprise America’s Watershed – a vital river system that provides drinking water for over 20 million Americans across 31 states, navigation of goods and products, supports key industries across the country and is an economic engine for America.
The Mississippi River Watershed Report Card grades the state of the watershed, identifying critical areas for improvement and many opportunities to improve our economy and secure our water supplies.
In 2020, the Mississippi River Watershed received a grade of C-.
Working together, we can find solutions for improving water quality and quantity, safety, and the health of America’s Watershed.
Building Partnership
AWI has been leading the co-creation of the Mississippi River Watershed Partnership–a vehicle to generate broad support, foster dialogue, and elevate the work of our partners.