Washington, D.C., Nov. 6, 2012 -- The U.S. Water Alliance convened a meeting of agriculture, water, and environmental sector leaders at Wingspread in Racine, Wisconsin, last week to plan a series of dialogues for increased collaboration to reduce excess nutrients in the Mississippi River.

“Nothing is more important right now than finding common ground to protect our water and grow food throughout the Mississippi River Basin,” explains Ben Grumbles, president of the Alliance. “We have a unique opportunity to make real progress on nutrient pollution by building bridges between the people working the lands and managing the water and wastewater utilities. The U.S. Water Alliance is excited about the environmental possibilities when water, agriculture, and conservation are united through innovation and collaboration.”

The initiative is being funded by a grant from The McKnight Foundation. Local, state and federal, public and private-sector perspectives were all represented at the planning workshop.

The Alliance will organize up to five dialogues in the next 18 months to focus on opportunities that reduce excess nutrients for the health and wealth of the Mississippi River. Approximately 30 local leaders from the agriculture and water and wastewater operations communities will be identified and invited to participate in the educational series that will stimulate the discussion and lead to recommendations at the federal, state and local levels. In addition to McKnight, The Johnson Foundation, The Meridian Institute/AGree, and The Sand County Foundation will support the effort. For more information, contact Lorraine Koss at 202.533.1819, or email lkoss@uswa.us.

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