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| 14 December 2009
Victories for Cleaner Water drawing closer in Hillsborough and Pinellas
Curb the use of fertilizers during rainy season to help protect fish habitat.
A Coalition of organizations including the Snook Foundation is advocating for strengthened fertilizer ordinances across the state.
Most Florida residents who venture outdoors are aware of the impact fertilizer application has on our water bodies. Ponds, streams and estuaries choked with algae and invasive species are now the norm - they are hard to miss. These choked waterways drain to our coastal areas and affect not only local freshwater but also saltwater fishing and fish habitats.
The full time work of eradicating exotic invasive plant species from our waterways goes on everyday. "If people learned to use fertilizer responsibly, my job would probably be cut in half," reports Keith Mangus, a licensed applicator with Applied Aquatic management. He regularly treats Central Florida rivers and lakes to reduce cattails, alligator weed and other invasive species that thrive where water quality is impaired by urban runoff.Restricted fertilizer application during the rainy season is considered the backbone to meaningful, effective fertilizer management," said Phil Compton, who spearheads the Sierra Club's Red Tide campaign.
Mike Holsinger, of Holsinger Horticultural Services adds “Fertilizer applied in the summer before a rain storm can run off before doing any good, resulting in harm to our surface waters and a waste of the homeowner’s money. Slow and controlled release products applied before and after the restricted period perform well to keep lawns green and healthy without Nitrogen or Phosphorous fertilizer application during the rainy season.” In addition, there are Nitrogen and Phosphorous-free “summer blend” products that may be applied all through the summer months.
There is now consensus in the scientific community that man-made nutrient discharges contribute to longer and more intense red tide, red drift and blue-green algae outbreaks. Cathy Harrelson, Chair of the Suncoast Sierra Club’s Coastal Task Force, states that “As a coastal community we must address the problem of land-based sources of nutrient pollution. Our elected officials are moving in the right direction and we will continue to work with them to ensure that the regulations implemented here are as effective as they can be.”
Gulf coast communities to the south of St. Petersburg in Sarasota, Lee and Collier Counties have adopted ordinances that reflect the recommendations of water quality experts and advocates statewide. Those ordinances contain the ban on Nitrogen and Phosphorous fertilizer application from June 1 through September 30 that directly coincides with the gulf coast region’s 4-month rainy season in order to reduce the amount of nutrients that get washed off residential lawns and landscapes and end up in our inland and coastal waters.
The Tampa Bay Region will see a total potential reduction of 84 tons of nitrogen should all cities and counties in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Manatee Counties adopt Fertilizer Ordinance codes. Taxpayers in the region will save up to an estimated $17 million compared to the costs of installing capital intensive infrastructure. This is an opportunity for personal responsibility to play a more effective role in improving water quality than is possible through costly efforts financed by higher taxes.
Fertilizer Ordinances Update
Pinellas is taking what should be its final step with a public hearing Tuesday Jan. 19th @ 6:30 in Clearwater . Anglers and friends please attend, as we must ensure that Pinellas does what Lee & Sarasota have done. The voices of fishermen and women truly make a difference.
In Hillsborough the process will move forward next month and there will be more meetings Jan-March that we’ll need folks to attend.
Protecting juvenile and adult habitat for snook and myriad related game and forage species of fish, invertebrates, pink shrimp, blue crabs and plants is one of the chief aims of the Snook Foundation. We consider stopping fertilizer application during the rainy season to be the backbone to meaningful, effective fertilizer management.
This is one of the few steps a community can choose to take that will improve its economic potential with a negative investment. Homeowners, private businesses and public land managers can actually save money (buy/apply NO fertilizer during the rainy season) while benefiting the environment with no downside to growth.
