Cook County is not known for a glut of farms, and neither is the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) famous for producing crops, but together this unlikely pairing is collaborating to improve water quality locally and as far away as the Gulf of Mexico.

Farmers and soil scientists with the MWRD joined the Illinois Farm Bureau, Cook County Farm Bureau and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) for a Nutrient Stewardship Field Day at Smits Farm in Chicago Heights on Aug. 28. Instead of holding this annual summer field day at the usual location in downstate Fulton County, organizers of the event decided this year to turn their attention toward local farmers in Cook County, where like across the state, new nutrient reduction strategies are being implemented. 

“We appreciate the opportunity to partner with the Illinois Farm Bureau, Cook County Farm Bureau, and University of Illinois to exchange knowledge and strengthen our collaboration toward managing nutrient loss,” said MWRD President Kari K. Steele. “Our partnership is making critical progress to improve the nation’s water quality.”

Reducing the discharge of nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen from farm fields is growing more critical, because it can protect water quality downstream where these nutrients are spread. The nutrients that exit water reclamation plants and runoff from fertilized farm fields can cause algal blooms and threaten aquatic life by depleting dissolved oxygen levels in water. The MWRD and farmers from the non-point source pollution sector are working together to reduce the discharge of nutrients in the Mississippi River Basin and ultimate impacts on the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico. 

During the Field Day, the MWRD and partners were greeted with a tour of the bountiful Smits Farm and participated on a panel discussion in a greenhouse. MWRD scientists, farmers and specialty crop producers discussed research and practices for beneficial use of resources. Some of these resources include struvite recovered from the treatment of wastewater, compost for improving soil quality and crop productivity for agricultural producers of all types. Panels and presentations covered nutrient loss reduction research, nutrient management strategies for various crop production facilities, and composting. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this summer reported that the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico now covers approximately 6,705 square miles, an area roughly the size of Connecticut.

“Addressing nutrient loss reduction strategies will require a comprehensive approach that tackles the issue from multiple angles, from the water reclamation plants in the Chicago area to the farms in Cook County and across our state,” said MWRD Commissioner Precious Brady-Davis. “Through these networks and our combined efforts, we have established new pathways to meet our mission in protecting our water environment here and throughout the world.”