The Gulf of Mexico is over 500 miles south of Illinois, but we are very much connected to the Gulf via our rivers and streams. Most of Illinois’ waterways eventually reach the Mississippi River, which drains into the Gulf of Mexico near New Orleans. Therefore, pollution that originates in Illinois eventually winds up polluting the nation’s second longest river and the source of a lot of our seafood.

Pollution from Illinois and other states in the Mississippi River Basin has been linked with an area within the Gulf of Mexico known as the Dead Zone. The Dead Zone forms every summer off the coast of Louisiana, and averages 5,000 square miles.

For more information, visit our Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone page.