The 90 Day Plan

As part of Illinois Governor Pat Quinn's It's Our River Day Celebration , Kristian Gustavson's organization Below the Surface is launching THE 90-DAY PLAN: 90 Ways in 90 Days to Clean and Conserve Water . Upstream actions are leading to serious impacts downstream. The connection is clear: problems on our coasts do not start there; in order to address water quality concerns in our oceans, we must introduce solutions upstream.

Beginning on June 22 nd 2009 and running to It's Our River Day on September 19 th 2009 Below the Surface will also host an interactive version of the program on its website www.belowthesurface.org with one tip to clean and/or conserve water per day for ninety-days.

The Mississippi is the most polluted river in the United States and nonpoint pollution is largely to blame. Collective runoff from non-specific sources, ranging from city streets to farm fields, combines to form nonpoint pollution. Consequently, the Mississippi River delivers more nonpoint pollution into the ocean than any other source in the US.

The 90-Day Plan serves as a solution to non-point pollution in the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico by focusing on the regenerative ability of a river's constant flow. If we can allow the Mississippi and other rivers within its watershed to run their course, while cleaning up our act for three months—we could see conditions improve as the rivers replenish themselves. The Plan is based on the three-month retention time (duration of flow from source-to-sea) of the Mississippi River. By using the Plan as a model, this program can be applied to improving water quality in any river or watershed in the US and beyond. All we need to try are 90 ways for 90 days!


Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, Kristian Gustavson, Below The Surface and The 90 Day Plan