Debate continues on Iowa’s role in gulf dead zone

There’s still disagreement over what it will take to fix that so-called “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico. “Hypoxia” is the technical definition for the zone where fish and other aquatic creatures do not live. Doug Daigle of the New Orleans-based “Mississippi River Basin Alliance” is watching the work of a multi-state task force that’s dealing with the issue.Daigle says the task force should set a goal of reducing the amount of nitrates in the River by 20 to 40 percent, but that doesn’t translate into forcing farmers to cut their fertilizer use by 20 to 40 percent.The “dead zone” task force meets again in late September to try to hammer out a voluntary agreement.