Working to better local fertilizer ordinances
Many of Florida’s waterways do not meet water quality standards and nutrient pollution is one of the state’s biggest issues. Nutrient pollution — excess nitrogen and phosphorous — can come from many different sources, including untreated sewage, leaking septic tanks, inadequately treated stormwater and animal waste. Nutrient pollution can also come from the improper application of fertilizer either on agricultural lands or even from our own backyards.
Fertilizers placed on your lawn to make the grass grow can have the same effect on algae species in our waterways — helping them grow. Excess nutrients in the water can result in blooms of algae that use up the available oxygen in the water, killing fish and other aquatic organisms.
Some algae blooms can also be toxic, affecting human health, our seafood industry, and the health of our environment. One such algae bloom, red tide, originates offshore, proliferating from both organic and inorganic nutrients. Once the bloom is carried inshore, however, anthropogenically introduced nutrients from stormwater and fertilizer runoff may contribute to the severity and duration of red tide events.
Algae blooms fed by human sources of nutrient pollution can create an imbalance in the aquatic ecosystem smothering and killing seagrasses, and injuring or killing hundreds of animals during just one event.
“We all contribute to the problem, and we must all be part of the solution”, says Kelly McNab, Environmental planning specialist for the Conservancy.
Creating an ordinance and education program to limit the amount of fertilizer that end up in our ground and surface waters is one of the most important steps a community can undertake in protecting its water quality and quality of life.
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has worked with several communities to adopt a stringent and protective ordinance, and has also worked to help educate Southwest Florida about the importance of such measures. Nearly 90 local governments around the state have adopted strong fertilizer ordinances, including virtually all of our neighbors in southwest Florida from Marco Island to Punta Gorda and beyond.
However, both the City of Naples and Collier County have either weakened or never adopted strict ordinances regarding fertilizer application. Some of the major components of a strong ordinance include:
· Calendar-based rainy season ban — no fertilizer between June 01 through September 30
· Application Rate — no more than 4 lbs. of nitrogen per 1000 sq ft. in any year
· Fertilizer Nitrogen Content — no less than 50% slow release nitrogen
· Fertilizer Phosphorous Content — 0–2% per guaranteed analysis
· “Fertilizer Free” Buffer Zones — no fertilizer within 10 feet of a water body
The Naples City Council is discussing the fertilizer ordinance issue at a workshop October 15th. Collier County will host a workshop regarding nutrient loading issues related to fertilizer usage tentatively scheduled for February 5th, 2019. The Conservancy will be presenting peer-reviewed scientifically-supported data at both workshops in favor of a more stringent ordinance, including a calendar-based rainy season ban and a 4 lb. cap on the application of the amount of nitrogen.
The Conservancy will continue its efforts to promote strong ordinances to keep our waters clean.
For more information, please read our letters to the City of Naples and Collier County regarding implementing a more stringent fertilizer ordinance.
