Lax regulations and mismanaged applications in the US are to blame for the tons of nitrogen fertilizer that runs off into waterways each year and contributes to water and air pollution, cancer and environmental damage, according to a report released Monday. US farmers annually apply over 11 million metric tons of nitrogen fertilizer, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), making it the most used fertilizer in the country. The new report, published by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), finds that an estimated half of these nutrients aren’t taken up by crops, but leach into the environment instead in ways that cost the US billions of dollars annually in water treatment costs, beach closures and habitat loss. Most of the costs hit small and rural farming communities, the report states.

Other water pollution news:

• The New York Times: A U.S. reckoning over chemical pollution from military bases