WalMart agrees to New York fine over P regs

New York — WalMart Stores Inc. has agreed to a $98,000 fine for violating a New York state law regulating the sale of phosphorus-containing lawn fertilizer. New York’s 2010 Nutrient Runoff Law requires stores to display phosphorus-containing lawn fertilizers separately from those that are phosphorus-free, and to post signs notifying consumers about the legal restrictions on using phosphorus-containing lawn fertilizer. An investigation by Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s environmental protection bureau found that 16 of 18 WalMart stores inspected in New York displayed phosphorus-containing lawn fertilizers without the separation or signage required by law. According to the New York Department of Environmental Control (DEC), phosphorus levels exceed state water quality standards in approximately 100 waters of the state, including reservoirs in the New York City drinking water watershed, Lake Champlain, Onondaga Lake, Chautauqua Lake, Greenwood Lake, and parts of Lake Ontario. New York enacted the Nutrient Runoff Law specifically to reduce phosphorus runoff from non-agricultural sources. Among its provisions, the law refers to lawn fertilizers containing less than 0.67 percent phosphorus as “phosphorous free.”