NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- The National Wildlife Federation said the so-called dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is one of the largest on record as flooding creates more damaging runoff.
Rivers upstream from the Gulf of Mexico are experiencing historic flooding. Nitrogen-rich runoff from surrounding farmland is depleting oxygen levels in the waters, killing sea life in the region.
Scientists at Texas A&M University said the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico covers about 3,300 square miles. The NWF predicts that runoff from upstream flooding could make that increase to more than 9,400 square miles.
Doug Inkley, a wildlife biologist working for the NWF, blamed the dead zone on agricultural practices in the Midwest.
"Fertilizers run off farms into streams and tributaries, then into the Mississippi (River) and they all end up down (at the mouth of the river)," he said in a statement.
Heavy spring rains that followed snowmelt are creating massive problems in Louisiana. David Muth, the NWF director in the state, said the levee systems simply can't cope with the amount of water in the region.
"We have too much fertilizer in the river and we've turned it into a big sewer pipe," he added.
