World's Largest Denitrification Plant Helps Tampa Bay Reduce Nutrient Pollution

Nutrient pollution is getting worse in many estuaries throughout the United States, especially those on the heavily populated East Coast.

That’s the finding of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in its July 2007 report, “Effects of Nutrient Enrichment in the Nation’s Estuaries: A Decade of Change.” Nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen trigger algae blooms and reduce the amount of life-giving oxygen in the water. The report said the increased nutrient loading is linked to human activities upstream from the estuaries.