A spreadsheet planning tool for assisting a state agency with cost-effective watershed scale surface water nitrogen planning

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is developing a statewide nutrient reduction strategy and coordinating with other states to reduce nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loads in the Mississippi River. Excess N in surface waters is of concern both because of toxicity to aquatic organisms locally and because many Minnesota watersheds feed into the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico, where a 45% reduction in both N and P has been proposed (USEPA Science Advisory Board 2007). Minnesota's Nutrient Reduction Strategy identifies how the state intends to achieve its first 20% reduction in N leaving the state via the Mississippi River.