NEWS NOTES ON SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCES USGS-USDA Nutrient Study Garcia, Ana Maria, et al, Regional Effects of Agricultural Conservation Practices on Nutrient Transport in the Upper Mississippi River Basin , Environmental Science and Technology, 2016. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1021/acs.est.5b03543 Nutrient reductions attributable to agricultural conservation practices in the Upper Mississippi Basin ranged from five to 34 percent for nitrogen and from one to 10 percent for total phosphorus, according to the study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. The study integrated conservation science and farmer survey information obtained by the USDA Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) with the USGS SPARROWwater-quality model to determine the extent stream nutrient levels were affected by the use of conservation practices on farms. Additional information on the USGS SPARROW modeling approach and a nutrient mapper and an online decision support tool for the Mississippi River basin is available online. USDA developed CEAP to provide more quantitative science-based guidance on the benefits of conservation practices and identify further treatment needs. CEAP data has been found useful in providing information and guidance on the best use of funding for conservation and to facilitate the alignment of conservation programs with national environmental protection priorities such as the restoration of the Gulf of Mexico. This study will also be linked on the 2016 Reports and Publications Page of the Sustainable Water Resources Site at https://sites.google.com/site/sustainablewaterresources/">https://sites.google.com/site/sustainablewaterresources/ Tim Smith Sustainable Water Resources Coordinator Government Web Site, http://acwi.gov/ Sustainable Water Resources Site, https://sites.google.com/site/sustainablewaterresources/">https://sites.google.com/site/sustainablewaterresources/