Hauppauge, N.Y.-The Suffolk County legislature has decreed that except for agriculture and golf courses, application of fertilizer will be prohibited every year between Nov. 1 and April 1. Spokeswoman Debbie Epple confirmed that the legislature, concerned about nitrogen pollution in groundwater, adopted the restrictions Dec. 18 with a vote of 14 to 2 with 2 abstentions. All county and non-county owned property except for the exemptions will be affected. “I think our fertilizer bill could be a model for the rest of the nation,” County Executive Steve Levy, who introduced the plan, commented in the local press. “There’s no reason to apply fertilizers to frozen property. It’s a waste of money to a consumer, and the nitrates just wash away. We’re requiring that professional landscapers take a course on better use practices.” One legislator who co-sponsored the measure, Jay Schneiderman, doubted the restrictions would have much impact since golf courses and farmland are exempted. He remarked, “I’m working on a bill that will look at fertilizer use in close proximity to harbors and wetlands, [to] see if there’s a way to restrict that.” At the same time, in Ottawa County, Mich., a ban went into effect Jan. 1 on using fertilizer containing phosphorus on lawns. The county commission in Grand Haven enacted the law in December 2006, calling for a $50 fine for a first offense. Farms and vegetable and flower gardens are exempt, as are turf or lawn areas in the first growing season.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain