25 N.J. towns required to adopt fertilizer bans

Trenton, N.J.-State environmental officials expect to be requiring 25 communities in Morris County to adopt ordinances restricting residential use of fertilizer as part of an effort to reduce runoff in watersheds covering 810 square miles that serve, among other areas, the city of Newark. The New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection aired plans at a public hearing earlier this month at Morris Township for local officials to adopt a model ordnance establishing protective 25-foot buffer zones and prohibiting any application of phosphorus fertilizer outdoors except in a few special cases. Liquid phosphorus is allowed if applied under the soil surface directly to the roots. Officials said the draft ordinance exempts agriculture, but calls for stewardship by commercial farms and urges growers to implement best management practices. DEP spokesman Larry Hajna told Green Markets that the department doesn’t consider the state-initiated action unusual, although in recent cases local authorities have been leading the way in adopting such restrictions on their own. “I’m told that this kind of thing has been done many times in various other states, and sometimes with much greater restrictions.” He said the wording of the ordinance is expected to vary when adopted from town to town, but will have to meet at least the minimum requirements as set forth in the model. The model allows some deviation on the buffers, which may be reduced to 10 feet on smaller properties. No fertilizer is to be applied during or before a runoff-producing rainfall; when soils are already saturated; 15 days prior to the start of the growing season; or after the end of the season. No applications are allowed on sidewalks, streets, or other impervious surfaces, which must be swept if it does occur. Enforcement is left to the local governments, which also must determine the size, if any, the fines should be. DEP officials say some communities also will have to adopt other strategies, such as public education programs and pet waste disposal ordinances, and discharge limits will affect more than 50 sewage treatment plants as well as numerous municipalities with regulated storm water discharge systems.