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Monday, July 19, 2010

Environment - "State plans to regulate phosphorus in lakes: But it will take many initiatives to slow down nutrient pollution of Indiana's lakes"

Seth Slabaugh of the Muncie Star-Press reports today that the regulation will be aimed at wastewater treatment plants, not agriculture, which "is an even larger source of phosphorus pollution than urban wastewater treatment plants." From the last part of the story:

One of the easier steps to slow down nutrient pollution would appear to be to ban or cut back on phosphorus in lawn fertilizer. The lawn care industry already is moving in that direction. * * *

Lawmakers attending the symposium didn't think there was enough support yet in the state Legislature to ban phosphorus in lawn fertilizer.

Yet a survey conducted by the Upper White River Watershed Alliance found that many homeowners are willing to use fertilizer without phosphorus, though few are actually doing so.

Thus, the alliance is starting a "P-free fertilizer" educational campaign.

The consensus at the symposium was that there is no single solution to nutrient pollution.

"This problem was created over a long period of time by a thousand sources," Tedesco said. "And it requires a thousand solutions, drop by drop."

For background, start with this ILB entry from May 25, 2010, headed "Indiana county's fertilizer ban rejected."

Posted by Marcia Oddi on July 19, 2010 01:02 PM
Posted to Environment