History of the Hypoxia Task Force
The Hypoxia Task Force (Task Force) was established in the fall of 1997 to understand the causes and effects of eutrophication in the Gulf of Mexico; coordinate activities to reduce the size, severity, and duration of the hypoxic zone; and ameliorate the effects of hypoxia. Activities include coordinating and supporting nutrient management activities from all sources, restoring habitats to trap and assimilate nutrients, and supporting other hypoxia related activities in the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico watersheds. In May of 1998, the Hypoxia Task Force was issued a charter, setting forth its mission, roles and responsibilities, and members.
The Task Force meets periodically via public meeting, and encourages the public to engage directly with the states as they implement their nutrient reduction strategies and with the Task Force any time of the year.
Task Force History Timeline
| 1997 | The Task Force is established to understand the causes and effects of eutrophication in the Gulf of Mexico and coordinate activities to reduce the size of the dead zone. |
| 1998 | The Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act (HABHRCA) is passed, which led to the formation of multiple research programs on harmful algal blooms and hypoxia. |
| 1998 | The Task Force charter is issued to set forth mission, roles, responsibilities, and members. |
| 2000 | The White House National Science and Technology Council and the White House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources released An Integrated Assessment of Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, which set the need for a strategy to reduce nitrogen loading to the Gulf as the key limiting nutrient. Finalized as one document summarizing six Hypoxia Assessment Reports written from 1999–2000, the report sets the scientific basis for the Hypoxia Task Force 2001 Action Plan. |
| 2001 | The Task Force released the 2001 Action Plan, describing a national strategy to reduce the frequency, duration, size and degree of oxygen depletion of the hypoxic zone of the northern Gulf of Mexico. |
| 2002-2004 | Sub-Basin Committees begin to form by the states, as called for in Action 2 of the 2001 Action Plan, and a representative from each Sub-Basin Committee is a member of the Task Force Coordinating Committee. |
| 2004 | The Task Force’s Monitoring, Modeling, and Research Workgroup released A Science Strategy to Support Management Decisions Related to Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico and Excess Nutrients in the Mississippi River Basin, which described a framework for monitoring, modeling, and research activities to support management decisions related to achieving three major goals: improving water-quality conditions in the Mississippi River Basin, reducing hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico, and improving the communities and economic conditions, in particular the agriculture, fisheries and recreation sectors, across the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basins. |
| 2004 | The HABHRCA Amendments of 2004 are reaffirmed, expanding the authorization for NOAA to advance the scientific understanding and ability to detect, monitor, assess, and predict HAB and hypoxia events. |
| 2005 | The Task Force created two teams, the Management Action Reassessment Team and the Science Reassessment Team, to undertake the initial compiling and updating of the data for the reassessment. Each team summarized available data, identified gaps and limitations in existing information and activities, and proposed additional activities and assessments to close the gaps. |
| 2004-2007 | The Task Force undertook a reassessment of the state of the science for the causes, effects, and management actions for reducing Gulf hypoxia. This includes holding four scientific symposium, releasing two technical reports describing information needed to support management actions and information on point sources in the basin, and asking for consultation from EPA’s Science Advisory board. Learn more from the individual entries below. |
| 2005-2006 | Four symposia were conducted as part of the reassessment process, with the purpose of assessing the current state of the science of hypoxia. |
| 2006-2007 | An EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) conducted an evaluation of the complex scientific and technical issues affecting the causes, location, magnitude, and duration of the hypoxic zone in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, as well as the priority and feasibility of management and control options in the Mississippi River Basin and Gulf to reduce it. The result of these efforts was the 2007 Science Advisory Board Report on Gulf Hypoxia. |
| 2008 | The Task Force updated the 2001 Action Plan, informed by the 2007 SAB Report, and released the 2008 Action Plan. |
| 2009 to 2011 | The Task Force published Annual Reports designed to track interim progress on the actions taken to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus in the MARB. The Task Force later moved to using the Reports to Congress to provide regular progress updates. |
| 2011 | EPA issued the memo Working in Partnership with States to Address Phosphorus and Nitrogen Pollution through Use of a Framework for State Nutrient Reductions, which set the foundation for a partnership among states, EPA, and stakeholders to make greater progress in reducing nutrient pollution. |
| 2012 | States began to develop nutrient reduction strategies, supporting Action Item 1 of the 2008 Action Plan. |
| 2013 | The Task Force developed and released a reassessment in response to Action Item 11 of the 2001 Hypoxia Task Force Action Plan. The reassessment provided a snapshot of progress to date in implementing the other 10 action items in the 2008 Action Plan. |
| 2013 | Federal members of the Task Force developed the 2013 Federal Strategy, with a primary priority to provide focused and effective support for the development, refinement, and implementation of state nutrient reduction strategies. |
| 2014 | The Southern Extension and Research Activities committee number 46 (SERA-46) is formed to operationalize a non-funded Cooperative Agreement between the Task Force and land-grant university extension and experiment stations in the North Central and Southern Regions of the United States. Learn more about priorities for collaborative work between the Task Force and SERA-46. |
| 2014 | The HABHRCA Amendments of 2014 are reaffirmed, expanding the mandate for NOAA to advance the scientific understanding and ability to detect, monitor, assess, and predict HAB and hypoxia events. |
| 2015 | The Task Force published the first Report to Congress in accordance with the HABHRCA Act of 2014, which described progress made through activities directed by the Task Force toward attainment of the goals of the Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan 2008. |
| 2015 | States finished developing their initial nutrient reduction strategies, which continue to be updated as states see fit. |
| 2015 | Task Force announced the 2015 New Goal Framework, which detailed the new time of attainment for the original hypoxic zone reduction goal, an interim target for 2025, and the HTF's commitment to accelerated and new actions to reduce nutrients basinwide. |
| 2016 | Task Force published the first Report on Point Source Progress in Hypoxia Task Force States, which documented the extent of nitrogen and phosphorus monitoring and discharge limits for major sewage treatment plants within the 12 Task Force states. |
| 2016 | EPA issued the Memo Renewed Call to Action to Reduce Nutrient Pollution and Support for Incremental Actions to Protect Water Quality and Public Health, which reaffirmed EPA's commitment and continued support to states and stakeholders to make greater progress in reducing nutrient pollution and to intensify their efforts in collaboration with EPA. It also announced support for state planning or implementation of watershed-based, multi-stakeholder projects to reduce public health impacts from nitrates in drinking water sources and from nitrogen and phosphorus pollution contributing to harmful algal blooms in water bodies. |
| 2016 | The federal agencies of the Task Force released an updated Federal Strategy, reflecting the work and progress made since the 2013 Federal Strategy. |
| 2017 | Task Force published the 2017 Report to Congress, which described progress made through activities directed by the Hypoxia Task Force toward attainment of the goals of the Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan 2008. |
| 2018 | Task Force published the Progress Report on Coordination for Nonpoint Source Measures in Hypoxia Task Force States, which focused on the Task Force's coordinated effort to account specifically for nonpoint source changes, primarily agricultural, that influence nutrient loading from a variety of methods. |
| 2019 | EPA provided $1.2 million in grants to HTF states to help implement state plans to reduce excess nutrients in the Mississippi River/Atchafalaya River Basin. |
| 2019 | The Task Force published the Second Report on Point Source Progress in Hypoxia Task Force States, which further documented the extent of nitrogen and phosphorus monitoring and discharge limits for major sewage treatment plants within the 12 Task Force states. |
| 2019 | The Task Force issued their first Hypoxia Task Newsletter, a quarterly publication produced by EPA in partnership with the Hypoxia Task Force. The newsletter highlights current information about the task force, providing a snapshot of recent state activities, federal agency activities, publications, and resources. |
| 2020 | The Task Force Research Needs Committee assembled research gaps and gathered input from HTF member states to gauge what types of research would be helpful in assisting implementation efforts for state nutrient reduction strategies. This workgroup compiled the top seven research topics and other topics identified as long-term needs. |
| 2021 | The Task Force monitoring workgroup evaluated funding needs to support existing and potential new monitoring in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River basin, particularly to track loads and trends in large rivers to help states evaluate progress toward meeting nutrient reduction goals and to support adaptive management of nutrient reduction strategies. The workgroup evaluated the funding needed to support a baseline nutrient monitoring network to quantify loads and trends from large rivers in Task Force states. |
| 2022 | The Task Force published the 2019/2021 Report to Congress, which described progress made through activities directed by the Task Force toward attainment of the goals of the Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan 2008. |
| 2022 | EPA issued the memo Accelerating Nutrient Pollution Reductions in the Nation's Waters to accelerate progress in controlling nutrient pollution in our nation's waters using five governing principles: (1) advance equity and environmental justice, (2) build and foster partnerships, (3) follow the science and invest in data-driven solutions, (4) support innovation, and (5) scale successful initiatives. |
| 2022 | EPA provides $60 million in grants (through Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding) over 5 years to HTF states and other partners to support implementation of the 2008 Action Plan and state nutrient reduction strategies. |