The U.S. and Canada limited the use of phosphate laundry detergents and cracked down on Great Lakes pollution from industry and municipal sewage systems four decades ago.
The Pentagon's ultimate goal of creating a single network of sensors may also benefit state and local programs designed to monitor air pollution, noxious fumes and municipal water supplies, the report stated.
The idea is to experiment with projects that pay farmers to reduce nutrient pollution, using money that would otherwise have been spent on expensive technology for use by institutions such as municipal water authorities.