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LL Sewer and Water District encourages phosphate-free fertilizer
6/24/2009 9:04:27 AM
Splash Editor
Fertilizer can help lawns stay green looking, but certain kinds aren't so green for the environment.
The Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District last week passed a resolution asking residents in the district to avoid using lawn fertilizers containing phosphorous, a nutrient that can cause excess algae blooms that can harm vegetation and fish.
"We're just discouraging use of phosphorous in fertilizers, period," said Lee Mellish, the district's manager. "The pollution in the county's lakes and streams comes from excess nutrients, particularly phosphorus. This causes algae to grow, which in turn causes fish to die, throwing off the whole balance of the water body."
The resolution expands on a measure LLSWD passed several years ago that encouraged residents in the Liberty Lake watershed from using fertilizer containing phosphorous. The most recent action asks all residents in the district to use phosphate-free fertilizers on their lawns. The district serves about 2,000 water customers, Mellish said.
The resolution is non-binding.
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"We don't have regulatory powers," Mellish said.
The district has been at the forefront of the drive to reduce phosphorous in Spokane County's waterways. In 2005, the LLSWD passed a resolution encouraging residents to use phosphate-free dishwasher detergents.
Last summer, Spokane County stopped selling dishwashing detergents with more than 0.5 percent phosphate, in compliance with state legislation. So far, the county has the stiffest restrictions for dishwashing detergent in the state.
The LLSWD fertilizer resolution asks residents to avoid using fertilizer with phosphorous except for on new lawns during the first growing season and on golf courses, which are managed by professionals. The resolution also asks residents to avoid applying fertilizer on "impervious surfaces," such as streets, sidewalks, parking lots or driveways.
"We do have a lot of naturally occurring phosphorous in the soil. Except for a brand new lawn, (you) don't really need that," Mellish said.
When buying fertilizer, the containers typically have three sets of numbers, Mellish said. The first number relates to nitrogen, the second to phosphorous, he said.
"(We're) looking for that to be zero," Mellish said of the phosphorous number. More stores are selling the phosphate-free fertilizers, he added. "We see more and more of it, which is a good sign. Not every store carries it, though."
The district also has maintained a phosphate-free fertilizer program for residents living in the watershed area. Customers receive a voucher in their water bills for a free bag of fertilizer donated by Greenstone Corp., starting this month.
"We give away over 100 bags of fertilizer every year, so it's gotten folks' attention," Mellish said. He's uncertain whether the free fertilizer program will expand in the future to include all water customers.