Non-point, Non-agricultural Sources of Phosphorus Loss: What Do We Know, and Can We Manage It?

Phosphorus (P) losses from states in the Mississippi River basin, including Indiana, continue to be the subject of reduction efforts through voluntary practices. An overlooked source of P losses is streambank erosion, which new evidence indicates is a major source of sediment and phosphorus loading to surface waters that must be separately accounted for in nutrient loss reduction budgets. We will discuss methods and strategies for nutrient loss reductions and how these may be improved through better quantification of streambank losses of P among the primarily agricultural non-point source contributors. Additionally, how states and federal agencies consider (or not) streambank erosion as a non-point source of P loss will be discussed. Finally, potentially management strategies to reduce streambank erosion will be reviewed.